It takes two
by ItsYoGreenGirl
Summary: Liv is the older twin of the green ninja. Her secret is kept by the people he holds closest to him. Harumi is the jade princess of Ninjago. Who has different plans for her city. When masks fall, and truths uncovered, remember this: two head, are always better than one. Update: Who needs evil dads when you've got incredible twins? The adventure is over, as well as this story.
1. A big big world

**It takes two**

**Chapter 1 **

**A big big world**

**So, I've always wondered the possibilities of Lloyd having a sister. So, I decide to make it a reality! This is a short little prologue chapter. Next Chapter and the chapters after that will be longer! This prologue chapter takes place during the pilot episodes of ninjago. The next chapter will be set right after s7 and the following chapters will be set in s8. So! This chapter is set in the pilot episode three: King of shadows. Let's get this show on the road!**

* * *

I am Liv Garmadon.

You might be thinking of Lloyd Garmadon, the legendary green ninja. But believe it or not I'm his sister. Well, his twin sister to be exact.

Lloyd is my little brother, we were inseparable when we were little but after our mother, Misako left him at Darklys school for bad boys to learn about the prophecy of the green ninja. My father, Lord Garmadon decided to take me with him to the underworld, my father had told me about him and that he lived in Ninjago, and went to a school called Darklys, near a village named Jamonikai. But after a...incident that ended in me and my fathers falling out, I decided that I would Leave the underworld.

So, one day, my father sent his skeleton general Samukai, to steal the golden weapons from the people he called "The Ninja '', I snuck onto one of Samukais monster trucks. And ran.

Finding my twin was the hard part. I reached into the bag that I'd snatched from one of the skeletons, pulling out a map of what I assumed was ninjago, I made my way towards Jamonikai village.

I reached jamonikai village by nightfall. I decided to rest for the night in the cover of a large tree. I would continue my search in the morning.

* * *

The next day, I packed up my bag and did some exploring. Jamonikai village was _beautiful_. Maybe Lloyd could wait. Maybe I could stay in the village for a while. Do more exploring, I wanted to experience everything I could about ninjago. I could see why my father wanted to rule it.

Mind made up, I decided to stay in Jamonikai village. At least for a little while. Get familiar with Ninjago. Pulling back out my map, I checked off Jamonikai. There were dozens of places to go in Ninjago. And I was determined to see them all.

* * *

**Soooo what did you think? I know this chapter is really short and very vague, I'm sorry for that. This is more like a prologue**

**Next time: Wu is lost in time. Misako wants to look for him. And a certain twin decides to pay the ninja a visit…**

_**GreenGirl**_


	2. The watcher

**It Takes Two**

**Chapter 2 **

**The watcher**

**I'm back from the dead with another chapter! And with that I just wanna say… HAPPY NEW YEARS! This chapter takes place right after the events of season 7 but before season 8. Please review you guys keep me going. This story will mostly be Livs POV or Lloyds POV, but if you want the POVs of the other ninja just let me know, and I'll see what I can do.**

**!Livs POV!**

I watched Kai and Nya walk away into the sunset with their parents and felt nothing but Joy for them. "We'll be back in a few days, don't do anything stupid while we're gone. Looking at you Jay." Kai said playfully as he punched Jays shoulder.

The lighting ninja scoffed then went to hug Nya before she left, Jay gave her a quick squeeze and Nya kissed him on the cheek in return.

"Awwww they're so cute." I said to myself, watching as Nya walk over to Lloyd, who was desperately trying to keep the jealousy in his eyes locked up tight. He put on a crooked smile for Nya and Kai as they drew closer. The fire and water ninjas hugged their youngest brother goodbye then went back to rejoin their parents.

"Bye! Have fun and be safe." the remaining four ninja said, watching the family of elemental masters, old and new, go until they couldn't be seen anymore.

* * *

It's been 4 years since I decided not to take Lloyd from the ninja, and a lot has happened in that time. But leaving my younger brother was one of the hardest, yet best decisions of my life. I couldn't have ever taken care of him the way the ninja have. They raised him to be strong, caring, generous, forgiving, brave, and most importantly they taught him to be a ninja, and that ninja never quit.

I did secretly team up with the ninja on a few occasions, but _only_ because I felt I needed to. Like when Lloyd was possessed by morro, or captured by serpentine for example. Other than that, I tried to keep my distance, not wanting to get more involved with the ninja than was necessary, because the more I got to know them. The more I wanted to stay with them. I still met up with them sometimes. Otherwise, I kept my distance because Lloyd needed to focus on being the green ninja, and besides he had all the ninja who treated him like he was their brother and I've always wanted that happiness for him, and I wouldn't intrude on that.

I've watched Lloyd ever since, Like a shadow in the night, but I've never in all my life, wanted nothing more than to just swoop him into my arms and carry him away from all the hurt in the world until this moment.

Watching my brother has never been so hard. Just watching him, while he and the remaining three ninjas also watched as Nya and Kai walked away with their parents, and I could tell that Lloyd desperately wanted that to. Sure he had mom,but I could tell that the loss of my uncle and father was waying down on my baby twin.

I could almost feel the grief and jealousy emanating from my brother, even though I didn't know my uncle Wu that much It still pained me to see Nya and Kai come back from the temporal vortex without him, and I know Lloyd is feeling the same way just way worse sense he actually knew our uncle.

I watched as Cole pulled Lloyd into a hug, and soon Jay and Zane had joined. I could see lips moving but couldn't make out the whispers being said among the four ninja from where I positioned myself on a nearby hill. Whatever Cole whispered into Lloyds ear made him smile a bit which made me happy. Soon they released each other and begin to walk back towards yangs haunted temple, well I guess its not hauntd anymore.

I quickly scrambled after them, but made the mistake of not watching where I stepped.

_Crunch._ I had stepped right onto a small pile of branches,_ why is everything so much louder when your trying to be quite?!_ And of course the four ninjas all jumped in surprise at the sudden sound. _Please don't notice me! Please don't notice me! _I said in my head as I ducked behind a large bush.

The four ninja stood in place for a few moments before Jay finally spoke,"Come on it's probably nothing, lets go." He said. The four of them continued to walk towards their home. _Phew. I can watch my brother and the ninja for years without being noticed but I cant watch where I put my feet?! Ha. great._

I peeked out from my hiding spot behind the bush to see if the four ninja had gotten far enough me to make my way into the forest, when Jay looked back to the bush and mouthed 'I can see you' then turned around to regroup with his friends with a small smirk at catching me.

_Damn it._

* * *

It took some thought but I decided I'd go see the ninja, just to_ talk . _I was curious to see what they were up to and had always visited in the past, in secret of course, and liked talking to them. I wanted to know how Lloyd was doing, and I figured he must be having a hard time seeing Nya and Kai leave with their family right after Wu dispearded.

Using airjitzu, that I learned when Morro tried to curse ninjago. I flew up to the floating temple, being sure this time not to make a sound as I crept into the temple. I eyed Lloyd, who was in his room reading, as I silently walked through the temple walls. quietly walked passed his room and towards the living room where I heard the voices of Jay, Cole, Zane, and My mom? _ When did she doing get here? _

Me and my mom didn't have the best relationship, mostly because either she wasn't around or I wasn't around. Truth be told, I really just didn't know her. She was like a stranger to me, but that's not important right now.

I slowly walked into the living room and saw the three ninjas, and my mother sitting on the couch talking quietly. I swallowed then spoke.

"Hey guys." I managed to say softly, and to my surprise Jay stood up and gave me a big hug.

"Long time no see." Cole said, standing up and walking over to me.

"I knew it as you in the bushes!" Jay exclaimed, Still hugging me tightly and showing no signs of letting go.

"Shhhhh, Jay, your gonna blow my cover!" I whisper shouted at him, I didn't want Lloyd to know I was here.

His eyes went wide, then slowly released me from his bear hug.

"OH, I'm so sorry!" Jay said hastily, "I totally forgot, he doesn't know you exist." He said softly.

My gaze softened and I gave him a small smile. "Don't sweat it, Zaptrap."

Jay chuckled then ushered me to sit on the sofa with them, I hesitated, eyeing the entrance to the living room wearily. Zane, Cole, Jay, and my mom who had been oddly quiet, frowned. "you don't have to, Liv. We understand that your secrecy is important." Zane said in a calm understanding tone, but I could hear the sadness in it.

I always knew that the ninja didn't quite like me staying away from Lloyd, but they always respected my decision. I looked back to the entrance then walked over and sat down next to Zane. The three ninja smiled, "so how's Lloyd been, ya know... The whole Wu _situation."_ I asked.

"Well he's okay, but Lloyds never really had great coping skills. He won't open up to us. Kai's usually the one to crack him." replied Cole sady, I sighed then went to my mom.

"Hey, mom, why don't you go talk to him. I'm sure he'll open up to you." I said, looking to my mother.

My mom perked up at hearing me mention her then spoke in that offly calm voice."I would sweetie, but I dont what to say that will help him."

I frowed."Come on mom, just talk to him. I'm sure just be-"

_What was that? Oh no._ I froze,_ Lloyd. Lloyd is coming he can't know i'm here! _The others must've read my mind, because Zane immediately went to the living room entrance to stall Lloyd, while Jay and Cole were already dragging me out of the window.

"GO!" Cole whisper shouted at me.

"Wait! Mom you'll talk to Lloyd, right?" I said, pushing back to my mother. I needed to know that she would try. My mother slowly nodded then went to help Zane, who was having trouble stalling Lloyd.

"I'll be back to check on Lloyd." I quietly called out to Cole and Jay before summoning my elemental dragon and flying down from the temple as fast as I could.

**!Lloyds POV!**

"What's going on? Who's here?" I demanded. I knew that someone was at the temple. I heard them talking with Cole, Jay, Zane and my mother. "What are you talking about, Lloyd? No one is present in the temple but us." Said Zane, trying to sound convincing.

I perked up when I heard the sound of a window opening and faint shouting, "Come on, you can't tell me no one eles is here!" I shot back at Zane. I stepped passed Zane to see my mother right behind him.

"Oh come on!" I exclaimed, this is getting ridiculous! I know what I heard, I know someone is in the temple. The question is why is my family covering it up? "Mom what's going on." I begged, but my mother just stared at me. "She made us promise not to tell you." Misako said softly._ She? _

"_Misako!"_ Zane hissed, his icy blue eyes were as large as dinner plates, My mom's eyes went wide as well when she realized what she had just revealed."She? Who?" I asked, confusion laced into every word. _Who are they hiding from me, who's she?! _

My head was spinning with questions. Cole and Jay walked into the hallway to see Zane and My mother engaged in a near shouting match, but when Zane carefully explained what was going on to the blue and black ninjas quickly turned to my mom and soon all four of them were arguing.

"Misako, what were you thinking?"

"It's not your secret to tell!"

"It. Was. An. Accident!"

_This is my chance for answers. If I can get one of them to spill a little bit more, maybe a name I can figure out who was at the temple! _ I decided to put my plan into action.

"Uhh, so Who are you talking about? I asked carefully.

"L- Don't even try it Lloyd!" Jay said hotly.

I was shocked, I didn't know Jay was capable of getting so angry. "Fine." I retorted. They clearly weren't going to tell me who they were talking about, because they still saw me as their youngest brother, and sure I was but I could handle myself!

Deciding that it wasn't worth it to continue arguing, I scoffed then walked to my room, feeling defeated.

**!Livs POV!**

As soon as I jumped off my dragon my phone gave off a faint _ping._ I reached down to see who had texted me, but it really wasn't that big of a mystery sense the only contacts I had on my phone were of course, the ninja and my mom.

**Group chat with Water Lily, Fire Dork, Zaptap, Mr. Roboto, Dirt Clod, And Greenie twin**

**Zaptap: Liv!**

**Zaptrap: Liv!**

**Greenie twin: Jay what is it?**

**Dirt Clod: We have a problem…**

**Greenie twin: What kind of problem?**

**Mr. Roboto: a Lloyd problem.**

**Fire Dork, **has entered the chat.

**Fire Dork: What's wrong with Lloyd?!**

**Water Lily,** has entered the chat.

**Water Lily: Kai chill guys whats wrong?**

**Zaptrap: Liv came over and Lloyd heard her.**

**Greenie twin: I thought you guys had that covered!**

I was Frantic, Lloyd heard me. I want Lloyd to know me, I really do, but he already has a family and I can't ruin that for him. I mean what would I even say?

"Hey Lloyd, you probably don't remember me but I'm you sister. I've been spying on you and the ninja for the past four years, but never decided to come and meet you for myself!" No. No. No, I couldn't do that to him. I wouldn't do that to him. The only way I would meet Lloyd is if there was no other option, or of course,if he figured it out himself. (And I would prefer the latter, if it came to that)

**Group chat with Water Lily, Fire Dork, Zaptap, Mr. Roboto, Dirt Clod, And Greenie twin**

**Dirt Clod: Liv? Liv answer.**

**Zaptrap: Liv HELLO.**

**Water Lily: Liv you ok what are we going to do about Lloyd.**

I had totally forgotten about the ninjas**, **we need to fix this before Lloyd catches on.

**Greenie twin: Sorry guys how do we fix this?**

**Water Lily: You could well…**

They better not be asking what I think they are...

**Zaptrap: He's going to find out sooner or later.**

**Fire Dork: He deserves to know Liv.**

And there it is.

**Dirt Clod: you should tell him.**

**Zaptrap: He doesn't even have to know who you are just go see him.**

**Mr. Roboto: It is illogical to NOT do something because you are afraid of how others will react.**

**Greenie twin: GUYS! I'm sorry but no. **

**Greenie twin: I want to see him so badly but he has all of you Lloyd doesn't need me I knew that the first time I saw him with you all.**

**Fire Dork: Liv.**

**Mr. Roboto: Lloyd knows that someone was in the temple we can't fool him forever.**

**Greenie twin: Look guys I am not going to see Lloyd unless it's necessary so stop asking I'll try to visit when Kai and Nya get back.**

**Greenie twin, **has left the chat.

I sighed, I knew that the ninja were right and that I should talk to Lloyd, but Lloyds not stupid. He would recognize me, maybe not right away but he would, eventually.

**!Lloyds POV!**

It's been a few days since the mysterious, _she was_ at the temple, and I couldn't help but think more about _her. _Who was she? Why were my friends keeping her a secret? I sat on my bed and let all the questions pour out of my brain like a river. I sat utterly still for about 30 minutes, absorbed in thought untilI my mother knocked on my door.

I jumped a good 5 feet in the air from the sudden sound, "Its open!" I called to my mother, who opened my door and went to sit on the bed next to me. An expression of guilt written into her features.

"Lloyd, There's something you need to know." She said hesitantly.

_Is she trying to talk to me about the girl who had been in the temple? Is she going to tell me who she is, and why my friends are covering her?_

"Lloyd, I'm here to tell you that…" My mom hesitated, again. She never hesitates, It has to be about her!

"I'm Leaving to search for Wu." My mother said hastily, as If she was scared about what she had said.

I froze. _My mom is...Leaving, again? No no. this has to be a prank, Mom can't leave too. _My eyes watered, I wanted to cry and beg her not to leave, but I wasn't a bratty child anymore, I am a Sensei now. Or in training? But who would train me now that Sensei wu is gone?

_Come on Lloyd. Your not a baby._

_Suck it up, she's looking for Sensei. She'll be back._

I looked at my mother, watery eyes and all. "H-how long will y-you be gone?" I asked softly, I felt that at any moment my tears would slip and I wouldn't be able to stop them. My mom looked at me,her own eyes begging for me to understand and for forgiveness, and I knew just from the look in her eyes, those pleading eyes. That my mother didn't know.

At this point I was feeling a mix of emotions. Anger, Sadness,_ Curiosity._

I flung myself into my moms unexpecting arms and cried,_ I look like a child._ I couldn't help it, "I'll m-miss you, when w-will you g-go?" I sobbed. My mother stroked my hair calmingly, then spoke in a low tone, "I will miss you too Lloyd, I am leaving in two days."

_Two days. _Two days. That's all I got, and then my mother is going to leave,_ again._

* * *

**OOF, some Lloyd and Misako angst. I wanted to explore how Lloyd felt after Wu "died" and when Misako left to look for him (An the ninja team too, but we don't talk about that lol) Because there's no way Lloyd would have just walked that off like in the show, And then Miako did show up but as leverage to use against the ninja. so yeah. Hope you liked this chapter the next one will fast forward into season 8 please review. The next few chapters will come fast because there already typed, I just need to edit them! So yay, updates over the next few weeks will be quick!**

**Next time: A powerful, yet little-known artifact is stolen from Cyrus borg. The ninja reconnect with each other, but while the royales of Ninjago give a speech, the jade princess gets suspicious of a girl in green…**

_**GreenGirl~**_


	3. Smarter than average

**It takes two**

**Chapter 3**

**Smarter than average **

***Shakes head* Why can't I just get a life out side of the Lego children fandom? **

**I just can't help myself. I have the first 10 chapters of this book in my google docs just BEGGING to be posted! So I'm of course, gonna spend all my time editing these chapters. (Or maybe Its because I'm on winter break and have nothing to do besides editing said chapters?) So I decided to skip ahead to season 8. Hope that okay with everyone.**

** I'm also still figuring out the whole upload google docs thing, but uploads are coming along fast. Haven't run into any problems yet. (I think I just figured out how to add a chapter name instead of the whole thing being 'chapter 3' lol) Thank you for the 3 follows and 2 favorites! It means the world!**

**!Livs POV!**

Another year, another adventure. The ninja have dispersed, leaving my brother to watch Ninjago. _Alone._ I'm not very happy about that, but if I've learned one thing from watching my brother; it's that he's tough, and can handle anything. It's been three months since my mom left to look for Wu, she hasn't come back yet. I keep trying to tell myself that it's okay, that mom is okay, but now after how long it's been…

Nononono! I can't think about that right now, the new year's festival is soon and I'm not going to let those bad memories bring me down. Lets just hope we can have a year _without _conflict. But knowing this city that probably a stretch. A girl can hope though.

* * *

New years came, and with it; new problems. _Yay._ Because the first spinjitzu master forbid we start the year without ANY problems! Or maybe I jinxed it… Oops.

I watched my brother fight off some strange biker people who stole an ancient artifact from Cyrus borg from a nearby rooftop, clutching the telescope from four years ago in my gloved hands. I quickly and quietly followed them from behind, leaping across buildings and sky trams until this year's mystery man jumped onto a motorcycle and lead Lloyd on a high speed car chase through the city's streets (Me myself not having my motorcycle racing towards me at the push of a button, tried my best to keep up with the assailant and my twin. Which I did a somewhat good job at) before the culprit ultimately threw himself over the side of the highway and into a canal below.

Me and my brother stared down at the figure as he deployed a parachute with a symbol of what appeared to be… My father?! Ok, things just got weird! My dads been dead for two years! As far as I can tell, it looks like my brother Is trying to figure out what this means to. He touched something on the right ear of his gi then flipped into his car and drove back to the city. Looks like the guys are in for another potential life threatening adventure, because it's just another day in Ninjago for us!

* * *

Heart pounding. Thoughts racing. Feet moving as I ran through the moonlit alleys of Ninjago city. I would have taken the sky trams and rooftops but I learned the hard way that Lloyd always uses the skytrams, don't want to risk being seen. So I used the alleys. I couldn't stop thinking about the mysterious biker. Is my father _really_ dead? What scares me more is that the symbol on the parachute was of LORD garmadon, as in the evil maniacal war-bringing lord of darkness who also only cares for my brother and me. (To be honest I never met the sensei version of my father. And for the most part, don't regret it)

But my dad died when the preeminent was drowned, right?

I ran until I got to my small apartment, which is conveniently right in the middle of the city. Makes it easier to sneak off and do ninja-spying stuff. After changing out of my ninja gi into some grey sweatpants and a purple top, I immediately grabbed my laptop and sat down on my bed.

"Mysterious biker gang with lord garmadon symbol." I mumbled quietly to myself as I typed into my laptops search bar. After a moment of loading, a few news reports and sightings appeared on my screen, along with a couple of conspiracy videos.

I quickly clicked on one of the conspiracy videos and watched.

_Watching._

_Watching._

_Watching…_

After about 5 minutes into the video I got a clue of something that might be able to help uncover this year's mystery.

"**On multiple occasions the biker gang calling themselves 'the sons of garmadon' have been seen entering Laffy's karaoke bar." **

_Isn't that the bar that Darth owns? _Without a second thought I was tossing my laptop off my lap and tugging my gi back on, pulling my hood over my mouth, and leaped over my balcony in a dead sprint to laffy's. Running silently through ninjago city, I soon got to Darths bar. Hiding behind a dumpster, I peered over the ledge to get a better look of the bar. And to my convenience; five bikers walked into laffy's.

I slowly made my way over to the back side of the building and onto the roof, where I looked through one of the skylights over the inside of the bar. _There were definitely a lot of people who are apart of this gang._ I carefully opened one of the skylights then quietly climbed into the rafters, and moved one of the ceiling boards so I could see and hear what was going on inside.

"Attention! _Attention!_ Everyone, We have the first MASK!" shouted a woman whose skin was an unearthly shade of grey and wore a purple sash holding two small sais. The woman then gestured to a biker standing behind her who had on a black helmet with a red eye protector, something about this guy looked familiar.

The man then held up an eerie red mask which got a hole bunch of cheers from the other gangsters, I instinctively whipped out my phone and snapped a couple pictures of the people in the bar, the woman with the purple sash, the man in the black helmet, and the creepy red mask. Once satisfied with the amount of info I got, I booked it out of that place and back to my apartment.

* * *

As I scanned through the photos I took yesterday, begining to piece together everything I knew about the 'sons of garmadon'. I even found out the name of that mask that was stolen, It's apparently an 'Oni mask' called the mask of vengeance. I found out everything I could about the sons of garmadon and wrote it all down in my journal. Sightings, news reports, eye witnesses, suspected leaders and members. I got it all.

Once I finished writing down all the information and finished printing the photos I snagged, It was about time to get ready for the speech that the emperor was giving later today. I threw on some blue jeans and a green hoodie, then went to the palace.

To my surprise when I got to the palace, no one was there but me, the emperor and empress and their daughter the jade princess. Seeing that no one was at the palace yet, I sat down on a nearby bench. Watching the camera crew struggled to set up for whatever the emperor was going to say, I decided to make myself useful and help.

"Need some help?" I asked one of the carmera crew workers who seemed to be having trouble setting up the podium.

"Oh um, yeah, thanks." Replied the worker, and together we finished setting up the podium and other things that need setting up, but just as I finished, the jade princess, princess Harumi walked up to me and asked the one question that I kept under lock and key for the past four years.

"Are you related to the _green ninja_?" Asked the jade princess. A flicker of emotion crossed her face beore she regained her composure.

"I-I um, no, i'm not." I replied with as much a smile as I could muster. I started to panic when I turned to see a few more people walking into the courtyard of the palace, the last thing I needed was for the whole city to hear Harumi and her acusation, then inevitably start to connect the dots.

The princess however did not look convinced at _**all**__**,**_ she stared me down from head to toe. Eyeing my light green hoodie then looking up into my bright green eyes, my bright green eyes that only one other person in this city has; and that's Lloyd. Then she smiled with - Was that... Mock sweetness? Huh?

"I'm so sorry, you just look a lot like the green ninja." She said, but something about the way she spoke confirmed that she had just figured out my secret. Despite all my instincts telling me to run out of the courtyard like I'd just seen a ghost, I knew that if I left, then the princesses suspicions would be correct (even if they already are)

"It's okay, a lot of people mistake me for him." I said calmly, holding my ground to prove to Harumi that I'm not related to Lloyd, no matter how much it pained me to do so.

The princess just smiled bitter sweetly, then went to rejoin her regal parents. Something about the whole exchange made me feel odd, towards the princess... As I watch her go, I let out a breath that I didn't know was being held, and waited once again for the emperor to begin his speech.

The emperor began his speech when everyone had arrived. I stayed in the front of the courtyard, still trying to prove to Harumi that I'm not the green ninjas sister. I was only half listening to the emperor, I was more focused on watching the ninjas 'sneak' around the palaces courtyard looking out for any harm that might come to the royal family.

It brought a smile to my face to see the group all together again, the others shot me funny smiles and warm looks, appears that they were just as happy to see me as much as I was to see them. But the true person that I desperately wanted to notice me, didn't. And I guesse thats a good thing. But is it really?

I stopped staring when I noticed that the princess was also staring me down. She was looking from me, to Lloyd, then back to me. It felt like Harumi was about to announce my secret to the world. Kai seemed to notice this and went to tell the others, I would assume. (The fire ninjas always had a tendency of looking out for me and my twin. He's really just a big sap) A few moments later Nya materialized next to me. Tapping my shoulder.

"Hey, whats up." I exclaimed softly, barely able to suppress how happy I was to see the samurai turned water ninja.

"Hi Liv, I'm so happy to see you, how have you been?" She replied.

I shook my head looked towards Harumi, who had been watching the whole reunion. Then spoke to Nya in a hushed tone.

"The princess is on to me." I whispered to the water ninja, who then reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, but sleek black device.

"Here take this, me and the guys all have one." Nya said, sticking the earpiece in my hand.

I Must have made a face because Nya quickly added that the earpiece is on a separate channel from Lloyd, so we could all talk without having to worry about Lloyd eavesdropping on us.

I smiled then carefully put the earpiece into my ear with a quiet "Thanks." Nya nodded, put her arm on my shoulder. "I'll see what I can do about Harumi, stay out of trouble, okay?"

I raised an eyebrow in mock hurt, then she was gone just as quickly as she came. When couldn't see Nya anymore I tapped the small button on my earpiece and it immediately came to life with the voices of my friends.

"Do you see anything?"

"Everythings all good on my end."

"What is the emperor even talking about? I wasn't paying attention."

"Maybe you should ask Lloyd, he doesn't seem to have a problem watching the princess."

"Guys focus."

"Party pooper."

I couldn't help but let out a quiet chuckle as I listened in to the childish antics of ninja, and with that my friends quickly noticed my presents and said their hellos.

"Hey, guys what's up!" I said happily.

"Hey Liv! Oh hey, did you know about that robbery at Borg tower the other night?" Asked Jay.

"Yeah, Pixal says that she picked you up on her radar." Said Zane.

"Yeah, I was there-"

"TARGET SPOTTED!" Nya warned.

To late.

A red balloon with the same sons of Garmadon symbol flew into view and with it, a bom sounding noise went off.

I quickly grabbed as many people and shoved them to the ground, then grabbed emperor and empress and hid them behind the podium, _The princess!_ I looked around for the jade princess to see that Lloyd had it covered.

Soon, the noise receded and the booming stopped. Then the water ninjas annoyed voice came over the coms.

"False alarm. It's just _**firecrackers**_." She said Angerly.

A wave of relief swept over me and I pulled the royal couple out from the podium.

"Thank you gree-" Started the emperor only to see that I was in fact, not my twin the green ninja. Great these people are smart! What happened to the obvious citizens of this city? I pulled down my hood for the emperor and empress to see my long blond hair, they both let out a small gasp as they stared at me in awe.

"I didn't know the green ninja had a sister." Said the empress.

_Damn it! The one time I wear green! One time! THE ONE TIME!_

I tensed, _Lloyd is right there. Lloyd is right here!_

Lloyd walked over slowly with the princess close behind him, "Mother! Father!" She called as she ran into her parent's arms. "Thank the heavens you're okay." Said the empress, burying her head into the crook of her daughters neck.

I pulled my hood back up and slowly backed away from the royle family and my brother, I've never been _this_ close to him. I got half way down the courtyard when I heard Lloyd call after me.

"Wait!" He shouted, I paused then slowly walked back towards them. When I got back to the stage, all four of them stared at me in shock until Lloyd hesitantly walked up to me and slowly pulled down my hood.

"No! Wait, Lloyd!" I cried, but it was too late. He had already pulled it down. Our emerald green eyes met for the briefest of seconds, then I ran.

* * *

**OoOoO Cliffs, sorry. I know that ultra violet wasn't apart of the SoG until the booming of the palace but hey! This Is and AU, so let me know what you guys think? Will Lloyd find out Liv's secret?**

**Next time: Liv is scared for her identity, and fears her brother will reject her. The ninja step up to help their youngest sister make the tough call. But in the end will she listen? Or will she continue to lie and deny her true identity? **

_**GreenGirl~**_


	4. Meetings?

**It takes two**

**Chapter 4**

**Meeting?**

**Hello everyone...bye everyone!**

**!Livs POV!**

_I'm busted. So so so busted. Lloyd saw me! I'm never wearing a green hoodie again! _Okay, so maybe not. I like green, maybe I should wear purple more? I mean it would match my power- What NO NO!

My head was spinning as I ran down the crowded streets of the city, I couldn't get the sound of my brother calling after me out of my head. I should have been smarter. I _am_ smarter! I'm better than this. Of course the ninja would be there! I'm not mad that they were but I-I…

Remembering that Nya had given me a com I immediately pressed the small button and waited for the static to clear.

"NYA! NYA! PLEASE NYA!" I shouted into the com, which got me a couple of confused glances from the people I ran by, I ran faster until I got to my apartment and waited some more but still got nobody else on the line.

"NYA! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?!" I was practically fuming at this point, I was two seconds away from stalking back out of my apartment to track them down when I heard the all too familiar sound of com static, I was about to throw the comlink out the window, then I heard the voices of my friends.

"_LIV! _Its Nya what's wrong?!" Came the somewhat staticy voice of the former samurai.

"NYA! Oh fsm, I need your help, where are the others? I need them too." I said into the earpiece.

"I just finished fixing my comlink. All of our coms got scrambled by the firecrackers, some sort of signal was sent out right after they went off and messed up all of our coms. The others can't use theirs at the moment." Explained Nya, sounding slightly annoyed that she and Jay would have to go back and fix all the comlinks.

"Oh, sorry Nya. I had no idea. I'll call you because I need all of you guys help." I replied, watching over to my night stand.

"I-I, um okay?"

I reached over onto my nightstand and picked up my phone, then scrolled through my short list of contacts till I got to Water Lily. Pressing the call button, moments later Nyas face appeared on my screen.

"Okay spill, what happened?" Said Nya, which also gained the attention of the other ninja.

"Who are you talking to?" Asked Jay, as he walked over to Nya and peered over her shoulder.

"Oh hey Liv!"He replied enthusiastically.

"Hey wait, Is Lloyd there?" I questioned in a hushed tone. Jay looked from Nya, then looked around the room and back to me.

"Yeah Liv, Lloyd is here."He retorted in a deapan.

I rolled my eyes then continued to tell my friends what happened at the emperor's speech earlier that day. There was a long beat of silence once I finished telling the group what had happened until Zane finally spoke.

"Liv, maybe this is for the best. We were barely able to convince him last time."He said.

"How _did _you convince him last time?" I asked, I wasn't about to give my secret up that easily, even if it was already almost out.

"We never really did… Lloyd was so focused on Misako leaving and Wu that he just well.. Forgot." Said Jay.

I sighed, looks like I might be telling Lloyd after all.

"Liv, we are all behind you no matter what you chose." Reassured Kai.

I smiled from ear to ear, it made me happy to know that the ninja would always be behind me, no matter what.

"I guess I'll give it a shot, I'm going to meet my little brother!" I exclaimed. The others cheered, then Nya suggested that we should meet at my place to prepare and give me the run down on how the little 'reunion' would go. Once I agreed, we hung up and I began to clean up my apartment before the ninja came. Stuffing my gi into my closet and my weapons under my bed. Satisfied with my cleaning I grabbed a bag of chips and leaned on the railing of my balcony while I waited for my friends.

Minutes later, I could make out five colorful figures leaping across building and skytrams. I smiled as they came closer and closer, until they were a building away, and before I knew it they were on my balcony to giving me a group hug.

"Guys, guys, chill." I wheezed through my laughter, which only made them hug me tighter and me laugh harder. When they finally let up and released me I opened my balcony door and lead them into my apartment.

"I can see your still sneaking around the city." Said Kai, holding up one of my many swords.

"Huh? I thought I put that under my bed." I replied. Which made Cole chuckle.

"What was I supposed to do in my free time? I can only watch you guys bicker over poptarts and the tv remote for so long before I get bored." I retorted. Now it was Zane, Kai, and Nyas turn to laugh their heads off, while Jay and Cole tried to keep themselves from laughing and decided that glaring knives at each other was a better idea.

"Ok ok we're getting off topic." Nya said after the laughter died down.

"Yeah, we need to get you ready for Lloyd." Added Kai.

I nodded then spoke trying to put more confidence in my words as I did so, "Let's do this."

The ninjas gave me the rundown about soar topics to try and avoid with Lloyd, and what causes him to shut down. I nodded as I soaked up all of the tips that the ninja gave to me and when they had finished their little presentation, I stood up from my bed and walk over to my front door.

I was about to open the door but I hesitated on the knob. I stood frozen, I soon felt five pairs of hands on my shoulder.

"We're right behind you all the way, Liv." Whispered the fire ninja.

I looked behind me to see my friends all smiling at me, not one of them took their hand off my shoulder. I took a deep breath then opened the door and me and the ninja stepped outside. With my best friends by my side, I knew I could do this.

"Hey, I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but how does Lloyd know to meet us, like is he going to meet us at a coffee shop or something?" Questioned Jay.

Four groans were his answer, clearly me and the ninjas has skipped over that part.

"Well, you guys could bring Lloyd over to my apartment and then I'll take care of the rest, but don't tell him where your taking him. I want it to be a surprise." I said to my friends, who nodded in agreement.

"Alright time to _officially_ put this plan into action!" Cole Exclaimed.

I smiled at my friends, waved them goodbye and prepared myself to finally meet my little brother.

**!Lloyds POV!**

_She looked just like me. Who was she? Why did she run? The emperor thought She was related to me._

"Green ninja." Said a voice from behind me. I jumped a bit, charging my green power then turned to see who had called me.

"Oh, Hutchins you scared me." I replied to the royal family's advisor. Hutchins nodded then spoke again. "You and that mysterious girl protected the royle family, you have their gratitude. They have invited you, the ninja, and the mystery girl to the palace tonight." Said Hutchins seriously.

"It's my pleasure, I look forward to it. Thank you." I replied with a bow.

Hutchins nodded once again then disappeared back into the place. I stood alone in the courtyard in silence, but I was sure my thoughts were loud enough to wake the dead.

_The mystery girl might be at the place tonight. I could finally get some answers!_

I was yanked from my thoughts when I heard my phone let off a quick ping, pulling out my phone to see who had texted me, I saw that my Kai had texted me, an address was attached to the text telling me to meet him, Nya, the guys there.

_Why are my friends telling me to meet them there? Matter of fact where are they? Why didn't they just tell me over the coms?_

I decided to just meet my friends at the address given and ask questions once I got there. Running atop rooftops and skytrans, I know this city like the back of my hand. But I've never noticed this particular building. It's right in the middle of the city, yet hidden at the same time, and probably only three stories tall. It looks like an... Apartment complex?

I looked around and to my pleasure, I saw Cole, Kai, Nya, Jay, and Zane all sitting on a rather large bench near the front of the building.

"Hey Lloyd, glad you could make it." Said Kai cheerfully.

"Yeah, where are we?" I asked, eyeing the small building suspiciously. My friends looked at one another like they were having a full on silent conversation. I waited patiently for them to explain, until Zane just stood up and motioned from me and the rest of the gang to follow him inside the building.

We followed Zane to the second floor of the building (which I'm sure is an apartment complex) Until he stopped in front of one of the doors with the numbers _**2287, **_bolted to the door.

"Ummm what are we doing here again?" I asked

"We'll be right out here if you need us." Said Zane.

_Ummmm. What, huh?_ "What do you mean? where are we?!" I asked again, slightly angered by my lack of answers.

"You'll see." Replied Zane, I looked at the others and they only nodded and motioned for me to go inside.

Seeing that nobody was going to tell me what was going on, I decided to knock, I waited for a few moments then heard a faint click. And the door slowly opened.

* * *

**Welp! There ya go, we have Lloyd meeting Liv soon yay! What do you think will happen in the next chapter? As always please review thanks for the support.**

**Next time: Twin meets Twin, but can Liv explain to Lloyd why they're just now meeting each other? Will Lloyd turn her away? Will he turn his anger on the ninja for lying to him?**

_**GreenGirl~**_


	5. Reunions

**It takes two**

**Chapter 5**

**Reunions**

**So my mom just showed me a video of one of my church's pastors speaking about how I would love to read when I grew up. I was SIX when he told my mom this, seven years later, now I'm like, this obsessive reader. I was just blown away and Got off my lazy butt and edited another chapter, so here is the kinda long awaited Liv meets Lloyd. Ps this chapter is like super long, sorry. But if you like it, I'll make more long chapters. **

**!Livs POV!**

_It's really him…_ Lloyd, my twin brother is standing right in my doorway! The brother that I've watched and protect for years, but still know nothing about.

"Thanks guys, for bringing him, it means a lot." I said to Kai, Cole, Nya, Zane, and Jay. All standing just behind Lloyd.

"Wait what-"

"No problem, see ya soon." Kai replied, and with that, the five ninjas walked down the hall and sat on a couch near the elevator, leaving a gaping green ninja on my doorstep.

"Do you umm, do you wanna come in?" I asked my brother awkwardly.

Lloyd just stared at the ninjas where, they stared back at him from their seats on the small couch. 'Go on.' Mouthed the ninja of earth. Lloyd, however, just stared at them as if the five ninjas had the answer to life itself, before bringing himself back to the present and walking inside my home.

I shot the ninjas a hopeful smile in which they returned. Taking a deep breath, I followed Lloyd into my apartment, closing the door behind me.

(but not locking it in case the ninjas realized about three seconds later that bringing Lloyd was a mistake and rammed through the door, and carried him away. Or maybe that's just how I feel at the moment?)

Lloyd wandered around my apartment, not that there was much room to wander in the first place. But he seemed interested none the less.

He then walked over to my desk and noticed my notepad of info on the Sons of Garmadon.

"How? How do you know all of this?" He asked, flipping through my journal.

"Huh?"

"About the _sons of Garmadon_." Lloyd corrected, _still_ going through my journal. I sighed and was about to speak when Lloyd cut me off.

"How do you know all of this? How do you know _My _family? Why do you look like the girl that saved the emperor and empress? Who. Are. You?!" He demanded.

_You have to do this. Don't lie to him. He's your brother, he'll understand. Just tell him the truth!_

"I-I, I can explain everything. If you will listen.'' I said calmly to my twin, who looked like he was about to pitch himself off my balcony.

Lloyd looked like he was debating if he really wanted my answers to his questions, then to my relief, he sat down on my bed and I soon followed.

"You have _five _minutes to explain." He said tightly, but only,_ only_, someone who's prided themselves on reading other, would you hear the slight curiosity in his voice. Small little sparks, but they were there.

"Ok, Ok…" I said softly, preparing myself in case this conversation took a nosedive.

"M-My name is Liv, Liv...Garmadon…" I said, hestitaint and even softer than before, but just loud enough for my little brother to hear every word.

Lloyd eyes went wide before saying, "You mean to say…" He stared, eyeing me up and down. Bright green met bright green and for the first time, I didn't look away.

"I… I'm your twin." I said to my brother, shock, doubt, and disbelief had made its way onto Lloyd's face. It was in his eyes, the eyes that were always bright and cheerful.

The eyes that were trusting and kind.

The eyes that belonged to a boy who had been through so, so much pain and suffering, but still had the power to love and look at other like they hung the moon.

The eyes of a brother who's been abandoned and lost, but still cared for others in a way that most would've considered naive.

The eyes that freaking LOVED Lord Garmadon!

We're now covered in anger, sadness, disbelief, doubt, _pain._

"I'm so sorry Lloyd, I wanted to see you when you were with the ninja. After they _took you? _Whatever happened at darklys that day, but you looked so happy with them that I just couldn't bring myself to take that from you…" I quickly explained to Lloyd, who still looked like he wanted to jump out of my window. (Though I think he might actually be considering it now)

"W-why didn't you _come _with us? I'm sure the others would have loved it." He finally said after a beat of silence.

"I didn't want to intrude. And besides, the last thing they would've need; was another Garmadon kid." I replied softly, trying to inject some humor into this exchange. Lloyd was having none of it. And for a second, I thought that Lloyd was going to reject me. I didn't come all this way just to have all my fears and worries come true.

"Your my sister for crying out loud!" Lloyd exploded, which I'm pretty sure just woke the whole building, (not that they weren't already up.) I'm so going to get a couple of complaints tomorrow. Is that dust raining from the ceiling?

"I know I know, I was a stupid kid who thought you've be better of without me!" I snapped, suddenly very defensive.

"Your my sister, my _twin _sister… Why _wouldn't_ I need you?" Replied Lloyd softly

I froze (again for like what? The third time now?) I was wrong all these years, thinking that my baby brother would be better off without me only to find out that he _would_ have wanted me?

"I'm sorry, Lloyd. I'm just… Sorry." I really couldn't think of anything else to say to him besides that.

"It is okay… I kinda know how you feel, not wanting to intrude." Lloyd said, placing his hand- his hand? On my shoulder.

Now it was my turn to look at him I'm confusion, "What did _you_ not want to intrude on?" I asked.

Lloyd kinda gave a sort of strained snort before speaking.

"After I released the hypnobrai and they well betrayed me I guess, I saw the ninjas on the bounty laughing and talking. I wanted to be apart of it, but deep down I knew I just couldn't…" he finished with a regretful sigh, I knew my brother still regrets letting out the Serpentine from the whole great devourer thing. I myself don't feel bad, those poor snakes should have never been locked underground.

Wait, okay, pythor maybe. He was the maniac snake, right?

"I actually didn't know that, not you releasing the serpentine, I knew that. I didn't know you felt that way." I said, still a bit surprised by the hand _that's still_ on my shoulder. It's a warm hand, the kind that makes you just hold on to it and never let go.

"It's fine, I don't feel that way now though so."

I snorted

Lloyd looked confused.

"You sure?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow.

Lloyd looked away, finally taking his hand off of my shoulder and running it warily through his hair.

"What do you mean." He said, a slightly defensive tone edging its way into his voice.

"I know you probably don't feel that way now but you did, and might still?" I stated. Lloyd winced, probably because he realized what I was referring to.

"I was there when Kai and Nya left with their family, I just want you to know that it was okay to feel the way that you felt." I continue, this time It was me who put my hand on Lloyd's shoulder.

He smiled, small but genuine. I smiled back

Not really knowing what to say to each other and not wanting to leave either. Lloyd finally decide to break the ice with a much needed answer to one of his questions.

"You said you 'saw'? Have you been like spying on us for what? Like 4 years now?" He yelled, incredulous.

I couldn't help the grin tugging at the corners of my mouth, and soon, said grin went from just that to a fit of laughter from both me and my brother in the span of ten seconds.

(I could have sworn I heard the others laughing too. Maybe I should just open my door and see five ninjas topple in like in the movies)

Deciding against that, me and Lloyd just continued to laugh and giggle, once my brother and I had calmed down a bit he asked, "So who's the older twin? Me or you?" He said in a jokingly tone.

"Why? You tired of being the baby ninja?" I replied just as enthusiastically.

Lloyd smirked, "How old are you?"

"We're twins, Lloyd. What do you think?" I replied, with a playful eye-roll.

"Okay, smarty. I assume you know who the older twin is?" Lloyd inquired, leaning forward.

"Yep."

"Who's older?"

"I'm pretty sure the others are making a bet on this right now."

Lloyd snorted. "Who's older? I really don't wanna be the baby of the fam, it's annoying."

"Well keep dreaming, cuz' I'm older by a minute!"

"What no way! Its ONE, one minute!" Lloyd exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"HAHA, you snooze ya lose." I retorted, a Satisfied smirk on my lips.

"Jerk."

"brat."

"Demon spawn."

"Your a demon spawn too!"

"Wait, were you here when_ dad_… Revived a grundel?" Asked Lloyd.

I nodded, not knowing where he was going with bringing up dad, or his whole grundel thing matter of fact, wait... A… Second!

"HA! I'm older!" Shouted Lloyd triumphantly.

"Nu-uh! Tomorrow's tea _doesn't _count!" I retorted.

"It does when you have to face a freaking demon dragon of a father who turned Jay, Cole, Zane, and Nya into mindless, dark matter psychopaths! Then having to run a darn skyscraper with Kai, who MIRACULOUSLY was The only ninja not turned evil! Only to end up facing that god darn dragon alone! Because FSM I swear destiny has it out for me!"

"Watch your profanity, _little_ brother." I countered, not long after having to duck a whack to the head.

* * *

"The royle family wants to thank you and the guys and Nya, for protection them. They want us to come to the palace." Lloyd said a bit awkwardly.

We had just finished arguing about the effects of tomorrow's tea, before Lloyd ultimately caved and, begrudgingly let me have the title of older twin.

(After I promised him a bag of milk chocolate covered pretzels, manipulative brat.)

"Oooh do they now, the royal family are literally the only people to just figure out my secret. Like how?!" I exclaimed, causing Lloyd to chuckle a bit.

"So will you come? I mean I'm gonna go and probably gonna drag the other along to so if you wanna come we could, ya know have some fun." Said Lloyd, I could tell he really wanted me to go. How could I say no? (Plus it's the literal rulers of all of Ninjago so yeah, kinda gotta go)

"Ya little bro, I'll come. But try not to spill my secret to all of Ninjago just yet, ok?"

"Okay."

We sat there in silence, until Lloyd went to check the time.

"We should probably go get the others, it's like… FSM it's already 6:30! We gotta go meet the royle family!" Lloyd yelped, looking at the small clock on my nightstand. (Ha, and Lloyd said 'five minutes'.) We both stood up and raced to the door and down the small hallway until we saw the five ninjas looking bored out of their minds.

"Hey guys, sorry for the ummm, _wait_." I said softly.

"Two hours. We sat here for TWO HOURS!" Boomed Kai. Obviously trying to entertain himself by arguing over pointless things. (Well I guess, I would be pretty mad if I was left like that for two hours)

"Two hours and thirty minutes and 20 seconds, to be exact."

"Oh FSM, really Zane?"

"You could have went to go eat or something! Why did you stay here?!" I shot back.

"Well we told Lloyd that we would be _here_ for him if he needed us!" Kai retorted, jeez no wonder he's the fire ninja.

"Ok, okay Kai chill. We're sorry, but right now we have to get to the palace, like _now!_" Said Lloyd trying to break up what could have been a shouting match between me and Kai.

The other four ninja quickly stood up and we all begin the trek to the palace.

Pulling up my jacket hoodie as I ran side by side with my complete family of crime fighting, snake stopping, overlord, umm, overthrowing? Ghost busting, (you get the point) ninja family.

"The palace isn't to far away from here! If we hurry we can make it before seven!" Zane called out.

"Is this why you picked an apartment in the center of the city?" Asked Jay.

"More or less."

* * *

Me, Nya and the guys ran up to the palace walls to see Hutchins waiting for us at the top of the stairs.

"Good, your here, I was starting to think you wouldn't show." He said, in a kinda creepy emotionless tone.

"We were umm, looking for her." Lloyd said hastily, gesturing towards me.

I waved to Hutchins, he glared but led us into the palace. "The royal family has an ancient, powerful relic that they fear will make them a target for unwanted crime." Hutchins informed, weaving his way through the jade palaces gold trimmed walls and pausing in front of a large set of extremely fancy double doors, _jeez, like,REALLY fancy doors._

Hutchins then threw open the doors and we were faced with three fairy sized gold trimmed thrown of the emperor, the empress, and their daughter the jade princess.

"I present to you the rulers of Ninjago the emperor and empress and their daughter the jade princess, princess Harumi." Hutchins said with a formal bow of respect. Me and the ninjas bowed as well.

"It is a pleasure to have the protectors of Ninjago here with us today, we would like to thank you all for protecting me and my family." Said the emperor, gesturing out towards me and my family.

"The pleasure is all ours, your highness." Lloyd replied with a slight bow of his head.

"Ah but it is our daughter that has invited you fellow ninjas." Added the empress, looking over to the princess.

The princess stood and slowly walked over to me and the ninjas, she stood in front of Kai and smiled.

"Kai, the hothead who acts without thought." Said the princess,clearly oblivious to the Stared that she was getting from the others. Kai smiled sheepishly, Wait Kai? Sheepish?

"I-I umm ok." Kai said softly under his breath, he decided to just smile at the princess instead of giving a retort. The princess smiled back at him and walked over to Jay, who eyed her suspiciously.

"Jay, the one whose mouth is as fast as lightning."

"T-thanks, princess." He replied hastily with a bow.

"Zane, the cold and calculating android."

Zane looked slightly offended before schooling himself, "_Nindroid_, you highness."

"Cole, the rock and foundation of the team."

_Had the princess said something about us that isn't mildly offensive?_ Cole smiled at the princess and she smiled back, now Turning towards Lloyd.

(That's dangerous ground.) With the amount of overprotective siblings in the room right now, all I can say is that the princess better watch where she treads over to our little brother.

"Lloyd, the green ninja. The youngest but most powerful ninja, The chosen one. I too have lost my family, but we have both found new ones." She says, with a hint of sadness at the mention of her apparent dead family? But the emperor and empress are standing right behind her alive and well, right?

As if sensing our combined confusion, the emperor quickly added, "we adopted Harumi after her birth parents sadly passed."

Everyone nodded, Lloyd Gave her a sympathetic look, then bowed as the princess walked over to Nya.

"And Nya the girl."

I had to resist the urge to slap that innocent look off the princesses face. (Pretty sure that Kai's about to, though.) _Who does this, this __**girl**__ thinks she is?! _We were all looking at the princess, then to her parents, then back at Nya, who was trying not to fume. _Please don't say anything stupid!_ I had a bite down on my lip so hard I almost drew blood to keep myself from going on a mini rant about how disrespectful the princess is being. Nya bowed slightly, glaring at the princess the whole way.

"-the girl I've always wanted to be ever since I heard about her. With her mastery of water and skill that could rival any master." Continued the jade princess, she even gave Nya a quick bow. The water ninja shook off her shock just in time to turn to the others, who was still gaping because that might've just been the nicest thing that the princess has said so far.

"I like her." Said Nya, bowing the rest of the way.

Then the princess walked over to me, she once again looked from me, to Lloyd, then back at me with that. Same. Bitter sweet. Smile!

"And the mystery girl in green." Started the princess, only to be cut off when Lloyd, not so Subtly, cleared his throat and stepped closer to me. Followed by Kai and Nya. Pretty sure zane just face palmed. Heck, I did too, well mentally. Darn these two and their inability to not be overprotective saps! Well actually, Lloyd usually the one that Nya and Kai does this too. The princess eyed him. Then just walked back up to her parents and sat.

Apart of me wanted to hear what the princess has to say about me, to be honest.

There was a bit of awkward silence after the whole exchange until the empress loudly cleared her throat and spoke, "I would assume that Hutchins told you why your all here?"

"Actually your highnesses, The civilian is not required for this task. Only the ninja, with all do respect." Commented Hutchins, giving me the side eye.

The royle family looked like they wanted to argue, but eventually gave in to Hutchins. What it with this guy?

"I see…You may leave, we only call for the six Ninja for this upcoming task." Said the emperor, gesturing for the royale guards to escort me out of the jade palace. I quickly glared at Hutchins who smiled deviously at me. _I don't like that guy._

I looked at Lloyd and the others before following the guards out of the palace.

"Wait your highness with all do respect, she is a friend of ours. Can she not stay and help protect your family, she has clearly proven that she can." Said Zane, looking like a desperately wanted me to stay.

"I am sorry ninja, but me and my family value privacy. Having a civilian in the palace puts that privacy in jeopardy." Replied the emperor solemnly.

Zane and the others frowned, looking like they wanted to retort, but not wanting to be rude to the rulers of Ninjago.

"It's fine, guys." I said softly,

I add following the guards out of the room. I gave my family one last smile then walked out the door.

* * *

**So sorry this chapter is kinda long, I couldn't find a good place to end and had to physically stop myself from typing up more and more when I realized that this chapter alone clocked in at 3k, but I actually really like the way this chapter Is and hope you guys do too, if you do I'll continue I'll try to make long chapter like this one. We have some Liv meets Lloyd fluff so that's good. I couldn't really keep them apart any longer :) as always please please review you guys keep me going on this story. Ps heres the ages.**

**Kai is 18**

**Jay is 17**

**Cole is 19**

**Zane is 18 (but a few months older than Kai)**

**Nya is 16**

**Lloyd (without tomorrows tea) is 15**

**But with tomorrows tea he is 17 **

**Liv is 15 (but older by a minute)**

**Guys I don't really know, these ages are a mess. Season 1 they're teenagers, season 9 still teens. (If you don't believe me watch s9) So yeah these ages… Sorry Ninjas, but you guys are a lost cause when it comes to this.**

**Next time: Liv is told to leave, Lloyd wants to spend more time with his new-found twin. And the ninja just happen to get unlimited access to the palaces buffet. Lloyd just hopes his family can have a couple of snacks without it turning into a full on war…**

_**GreenGirl~**_


	6. Warheads and sweet teeth

**It takes two**

**Chapter 6**

**Warheads and sweet teeth**

** I meant to post this early in the day but I got stuck at my moms salon without my computer T-T **

**This is mostly just the calm before the storm that is chapter seven. Felt like the ninja having a bit of fun in the palace was necessary. Or maybe my friends and twin were all together and we did the warhead ****challenge-**

**!Lloyds POV!**

I was sad to see my twin go. I wanted to spend a bit more time with her and the guys. Although, I'm pretty sure she's already spent a lot of time with them, to be honest

I tried not to protest against the emperor and his family, keeping my composure, I smiled back to Liv as she left. The princess explained what me and the others were here for, after that we kinda just followed Hutchins around while he gave us a 'tour'. Well, 'tour' is a generous term for it. He mostly just told us what rooms _not_ to go into and left.

After the don't-go-in-that-room-or-else, we decided to take a short break before we went to our posts around the palace. We grabbed some snacks from the all-you-can-eat- buffet, that we apparently have full access too.

(Need to make a mental note to watch cole, though, can't have him eating all the cake. No matter_ how _many times he claims he's given up cake 'because his body is a _temple_'.

"Sooo, Lloyd how's things going with Liv?" Kai asked through a mouthful of potato chips.

"It's… Going great, I think? I'm really glad to know her after all these years." I replied, eating my own bag of gummy bears that I had to wrestle with Nya to get too. She grumbled something as I popped another hang full of sugary goodness into my mouth, something about how I was going to rot my teeth and stuff. I'm pretty sure I heard her say something to Zane about scheduling dentist appointments. Better watch them too.

"We're sorry we lied to you about her." Kai continued, giving me an apologetic look.

"Don't be, Liv explained everything." I told Kai, I didn't want my brothers (and sister) to feel bad about what happened. Plus it was like, the fifth time Kai, (And literally everyone else, but mostly Kai). Asked me about how stuff was going.

"Well I for one am happy for us all to finally be together." Added Zane happily.

"Great now we have _two_ demon spawns, as if one wasn't enough." Kai said playfully. Shooting me a cheeky grin.

I chucked my bag of gummy bears at him.

And they hit him right in the face.

"Hey!" Kai shirked. Tumbling to the ground in surprise.

I immediately burst into laughter as Kai tried to pick all the gummy bears out of his hair. I was about to stand up and get another bag when Nya got up and grabbed my hand.

"Nu-uh you just had, like, half a bag, your gonna get cavities and lose all your teeth at the young age of thirteen!" She shouted, yanking me back onto the sofa. Wait, did she say thirteen?

"Lies! And I'm not thirteen! I'm pretty sure I would be fifteen without tommorows tea. So lemme go get some gummy bears!" I retorted, trying to get back up, but only to be grabbed by Kai as he dug his knuckles into my skull to ruffle my hair.

"Kai! ow, hey chill, stoooppppp!" I said through my laughter. Kai finally stopped ruffling my hair and I leaned back onto the sofa.

"Cry baby." He said.

"Your one to talk, 'Hothead who acts without thought.'' Said Jay, nudging Kai on the shoulder.

Kai let out the most playfully offended gasp I've ever heard as he tackled Jay and the two of them wrestled each other on the ground of the jade palace until Cole and Zane had finally stopped laughing long enough to pull them apart. (Nya was to busy taking a video of the whole thing. Gotta make sure she sends that to me)

I took this as my chance to sneak and grab another bag of candy.

I came back with two bags of sour warheads and a small share size bag of sour skittles. (Mostly just to spite Nya)

I went and sat down on the sofa and quietly, well as quietly as you would expect opening a bag of candy goes, and began to munch on the small candies when something occurred to me. _I wonder if Liv has a sweet tooth like me, I mean we're twins, right?_ Stuffing the bag of candy behind a pillow, I went to ask Kai, who was _still_ arguing with Jay over who knows what anymore.

"Hey Kai, do you think Liv has a sweet tooth like me? She has said that we were twins and all. I asked.

Kai just looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Little bro, I don't think _anyone_ has a sweet tooth as big as yours." He said. Making the others snicker.

"My sweet tooth isn't _that_ big."

"Uh-huh."

"I'm serious! Plus candy is a fix all sooo deal with it." I retorted, then plopped down on the sofa and ate more of my extremely sour, extremely sugary candy.

Then of course Nya came over and tried to snatch away my new candy bag.

"Leave him alone, you party popper." Said Jay. Reaching over and taking a few pieces of the sour skittles and nibbling at them… Until he winced and almost spit them out because of how sour they were.

"How can you eat such a foule thing?!" He shirked, gulping down a glass of water that I'm pretty sure Nya just whipped up with her powers.

"It's not _that_ sour, Jay." I said, sticking more of the candies into my mouth to prove my point.

"Yeah, Jay, chill, I'm pretty sure you're just overreacting." Added Cole, and - oh god, if looks could kill… Cole would be nothing but a splat on the elegant tile floor.

"You wanna have some _Cole._" Jay said, a smirk edging its way across his face.

I couldn't stop my own smirk that spread across my own face, _oh this'll be fun._ I Pulled out the bag of warheads that I had hidden behind the pillow and shook it a bit, getting everyone's attention.

They all looked to me and I tore the bag open.

"Who's up for a warhead contest?" I said, putting on my I've-got-the-superior-sweet-tooth-so-give- up-now look.

My friends looked from one another then back to me, all of them having on their ninja competitive faces on (well except Jay, who learned his lesson the first time and decided to just judge the contest)

"Ok everyone know the rules?" I asked, looking around the room. Everyone nodded, so I continued.

"On the count of three put the warhead of your choosing into you mouth, last person to keep a straight face wins. Well do six rounds winner gets bragging rights, and gets to the losers have to get the winner a snack of their choosing… Everyone ready?"

I was met by a chorus of 'ready' and one 'eye eye, capin'.

"Umm, ok, three. Two...One!"

We all opened our warhead and quickly popped them into our mouths. The next two minutes went a little like this.

"Jay, stop recording and judge!"

"I am judging! I need video confrontations!"

"HEY, Kai made a face!"

"I did not!"

"Yes you did, Jay back me up."

"I didn't see Kai make a face."

"Because your to busy recording!"

"Okay, okay point taken, jeez."

* * *

Thirty seconds into the contest... Things stared to get a little out of hand, because my family is weird and can't do anything without trying to murder each other in the end.

"Lloyd, how are you not dying yet?!"

"I'donknow"

"Cole, you can't give in now!"

"HA! I told you they were sour!"

"Man we were supposed to be watching the mask."

"We are idiots, we got roped into this."

"guys we can't let Lloyd beat us."

"Well that's a lost cause."

"Come on ninja never quit."

"How does that apply to a candy contest where you basically burn your taste buds off from sour candies?"

"Beeeecasue."

"Because what?"

"..."

"I rest my case."

"Guys, I gotta fold."

"No you can't!"

"Cole you were the one who said Jay was overreacting! You can't be the first one out!"

"I don't care, I actually value my taste buds."

"How can you value your taste buds? They clearly don't work, If you cooking is as terrible as it is."

"Oh snap."

"Getting toasted by the ice ninja?"

"Shut up, Kai. Jay pass me a napkin."

"..."

"Jay?"

"..."

"Jay, come on I know you can hear me."

"Going, _going_."

"Why are you going so slow?"

"So your tongue can suffer a painful death by sour candies."

"JAY."

"Okay, okay, okay."

"Thanks you."

* * *

Coles folds. Kai gives a whole speech about how ninja never quit only to quit 30 seconds later. Nya and Zane are still going strong.

I've been trying to keep a straight face, but made the mistake of agreeing to add another warhead into my mouth along with Nya and Zane. My eyes watered and my tongue is blistering, but my face is hard as stone. _Just a bit longer and Nya will be out to._ Zane is my only real problem because he's, well, a nindroid.

"Urgh, why did you suggest adding a second candy, Zane?" Asked Nya, trying not to spit out her warhead as she spoke.

"To get you out." He answered simply.

I couldn't help the snort that escaped my throat. Bad idea because before I knew it I was choking on the warheads. _Oh god._ I sat for a good few seconds trying to catch my breath, "Lloyd you good?" Asked Kai, looking like he either wanted to laugh harder or help.

I gave him a small thumbs up, cleared my throat and got back into the game.

"What do you mean, 'get me out'!?" Nya cried, throwing her hands into the air.

"From my calculations, you looked like you were about to fold anyways, and that it was sheer stubbornness that kept you in. So I figured that by challenging you to add another candy you would certainly be out." He explained.

_Wow._

This might not have been such a great idea after all, seeing how competitive my family is. To bad it's only the first round.

* * *

**So yeah you just got about 2k of the ninja being competitive idiots, (I think). **

**Next time: the palace is bombed. Lloyds hurt in the crossfire. While the ninja struggle to fend off the jade palaces attackers, defended the mask of deception, whilst trying to get Lloyd and the royle family out of harm's way. Things go a bit… South... **

_**GreenGirl~**_


	7. As it falls

**It takes two**

**Chapter 7**

**As it falls**

**Hi everyone, Finally got back on track with the plot. **

**!Lloyds POV!**

It all happened _so _fast. Me, Jay, Kai, Cole, Zane, and Nya, went to our posts around the palace.

Kai and Nya took the front entrance and the courtyard, Cole took the east wing, Jay took the south, Zane the west. I was inside, guarding the royle family and the mask.

The mask of deception had an eerie feel to it, a collage of multiple shades of orange and yellow decorating it. But the scariest part was it's smile. A dark, ugly smile, a smile that promises trouble. Then Cole's voice came over the coms, with a whole bunch of static.

"_GASTSAP! GASTSAP! It was Hutchins!"_ shouted cole over the radio.

"Cole what's wrong? What did Hutchins do?" I asked.

"_The whole place is gonna__** EXPLODE!"**_Cole screamed.

"_WHAT?! Where are you?"_Called Jay.

"_In the caves under the palace!" _Cole replied, from the sound of things I would assume he's running _out_ of the caves, not further in. _I really hope he's running out._

"_Cole, get out of there! We need your help protecting the mask and royal family!" _Kai yelled.

Cole's end of the comm was silent for a beat before he came in again._"Okay, but we have to be quick before-"_

_BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_

I was thrown back by a powerful blast of heat and fury just as the Jade Palace of Ninjago exploded.

I laid on the floor of the jade palace too stunned to move. I sat in a sort of fuzzy haze, well that was until a sharp stab of pain shot up my right leg. I slowly looked to my leg, and groaned in exasperation because destiny, I swear, has it out for me.

**!No ones POV!**

The palace walls shook under the raging flames that engulfed it, Kai and Nya were rushing inside to help the royle family when they heard the shrill cry of the banshee. Turning around they saw a woman on a motorcycle with stone grey skin - wait what? And two small sais and jet black hair pulled into a ponytail.

"What a beautiful night for a little mayhem." Said the woman. Nya snarled and began to pull out her spear. Kai did the same, pulling out two katanas and fixing the woman with a fierce glare. She drove her motorcycle towards Kai and Nya, weapons drawn, they were ready for a fight.

Cole was halfway out the tunnel when it exploded. When it blew, the impact practically catapulted him forward. Blicking black spots from his eyes, Cole stood up, only to immediately fall back down when he saw the scene unfolding in front of him.

The Jade palace was ablaze. Smoke was pouring out from the windows and the structure looked ready to collapse if the flame grew anymore.

His team.

Coles team, his family, his _little brother. _They were all in danger because he couldn't warn them in time. Cole ran to the courtyard of the palace, he saw Kai and Nya struggling to fight the deranged biker gang that appeared to be storming the palace.

"Kai! Nya! You guys good? Did you get hurt from the blast?" Asked Cole, pulling out his hammer and joining the battle.

"We... Are fine!" Shouted Kai in between his attacks.

"Lloyd is _still_ inside! Get him before he gets himself hurt!" Yelled Nya.

Cole didn't hesitate, he put away his hammer and barreled through the front doors of the fire filled palace, and began to search for his little brother.

The inside of the palace was chaotic. There was fallen debris everywhere from the explosion, guards were everywhere trying to find the emperor, the empress, the jade princess, and fight off the bikers.

He assisted in helping the guards but his mind was on a one way course. _Find Lloyd. Find Lloyd. Get the mask and find Lloyd and the royle family. But mostly Lloyd because Kai will kill me if something happens to him._

Jay and Zane had been slightly spared from the worst of the blast, but were still a bit shaken. Zanes' arm was sparking and Jay had a small gash on his left arm.

"We have to help the others." Said Jay, rubbing his arm then grimacing.

"Let me help you." Said Zane, taking Jay's arm and gently applying a thin layer of ice.

"Thanks, Zane." The blue ninja replied.

Zane nodded then motioned for Jay to follow him towards the screaming northern side of the palace.

"Hopefully the others are okay..." Said Zane.

Jay didn't say anything, he could only hope.

**!Livs POV!**

I could feel the rumble from the explosion coming from the palace. Shaking the ground with every boom and crack. _THIS is why my home is in the middle of the city, close to the palace._

I didn't have time to be bitter. I needed to help. Tugging on the sleeves of my gi and reaching under my bed for a sword. I was leaping off my balcony and towards the blazing Jade palace in a matter of minutes. _The guys better be okay._

Every thought, every worry carrying my further and further. Each scream pushing me faster. I wasn't going to lose my newly reunited family to a little fire. I wouldn't.

I got to the palace in minutes. Banging and pulling at the large door that led into the courtyard. It wouldn't budge, debris had blocked my entrance. Looking up to the wall surrounding the palace I threw my sword into the wall and swung until I had enough momentum to pull myself up atop the wall, pulling my sword up with me.

Once over the wall and in the courtyard I saw Kai and Nya fighting (More like losing). Against a grey skinned biker. Wait! Is that the same biker from the BAR!? The Sons of Garmadon were attacking the palace, but why? I shook the thoughts off and ran to help my family. Slashing at a few bikers I rushed over to help Kai and Nya.

"Are you two okay?" I asked, kicking away a few more gang members.

"UGH! We are fine!" Yelled Nya, throwing her spear, pinning the bikers that were rushing at her to the wall. She walked over to the wall and punched the guy out cold then grabbed her spear and walked back to me.

I flinched when I saw a small trail of blood seep down from the man's eyebrow, _he's gonna feel that later._ I soon made a mental note to never spare against nya when she's angry.

"Sorry, sorry. But you need to get in there and find Lloyd." Said Nya, gesturing wildly at the slowly deteriorating palace.

"The explosion went off near the center of the palace, and that's where Lloyd is. Me and Nya can take care of these guys you go find our baby bro." Added Kai, already lunging at more gangsters.

My eyes widened, then narrowed in determination. I know Lloyd is tough but It just winds me up when stuff like this happens and not just with Lloyd. Sometimes I fear that one day the ninjas will face something unbeatable…

But this is just some deranged biker gang on a wild streak, that's all. Right?

Without wasting a second longer I was busting through the palaces front doors, I looked to Kai and Nya one last time while they fought the biker from the bar, the one with the grey skin. I winced when she kicked Kai to the ground from her motorcycle, then forced myself through the doors of the burning palace.

But every bell in my brain was going off, I hate fire.

**!Lloyds POV!**

I paused again, leaning on the fiery wall of the palace. _Come on! Just a few more mask is right there, you cant let the Sons of Garmadon get to it! _Using the mask as motivation, I slowly took a couple of shaky steps, my leg gave out quickly and I fell back onto the wall._ How I even got up off the floor is beyond me._

I let out an annoyed sigh, staring down at the large shard of glass that was embedded in my right leg._ Traitor._ I had to get that mask, I had too! But I couldn't bring myself from the wall._ Stupid. Stupid green ninja can't walk off a small cut. Kai and the others will try to baby you if you don't show them that you can handle yourself! Just get up and power through, you're the fricken green ninja for cryin' out loud!_

Trying to motivate myself once again, I stood slowly off the wall and walked towards the mask. But each step was agonizing. The shard of glass moving with my leg.

It hurt.

"LLOYD! Where are you?"

Yes! I quickly called back to my twin, "Liv? I'm here! Over here!" I screamed.

Soon enough my twin ran towards me. I tried to hide my injured leg, not wanting to worry her. But she saw anyway. Liv immediately sat me down and began to examine my right leg.

"Are you okay? Does this hurt?" Said my twin as she carefully prodded and poked the skin around the glass.

I flinched away, and she stopped. Liv hadn't looked me in the eyes, but when she finally did there were tears in them. I quickly pulled her into a hug and she began to sob.

"Hey, sis. This isn't your fault trust me, okay? It Isn't." I said, trying to calm my twin so we could quickly get out of this palace.

Liv sniffled a bit and slowly stood up, face steeled. She then helped me up, putting her arm under me and set me back on the wall, then walked over to grab the mask. Liv attached the mask onto a clip on the belt of her gi, which was black and had a violet sash. I began to wonder if our powers were the same, But there's only one green ninja, so there's no way Liv and I could have the same powers, right? I decided not to voice the question and ask her later when we were literally not inside a burning building with a mask that can do who knows what fighting crazy biker people.

"You shouldn't walk on that, I gotcha." Said Liv, walking over and putting her arm around me once again.

We had started to walk away from the room with the oni mask when a man in black wearing a black helmet with a red eye protector appeared in front of us. I stared at him then whispered to my twin, "That's the same guy that stole the first oni mask!" I whisper to her.

"I know I saw, he's the same guy from the bar that Darthe owns." She replied.

The man stepped closer towards us, Livs protective hold on me tightened as she placed herself between me and the biker. She pulled out her katana and held it out defensively against the man. The gangster cocked his head, amused? Then flung forward, pulling out two red katana as he charged. Liv pulled the mask from her belt, thrust it into my hands, and shoved.

I hit the wall beside me hard but didn't cry out. I could only watch as my twin battled the biker, she was being easily defeated as the attacks of the biker became more intense and fierce. I wanted to help her, I didn't want to see my sister hurt. The palace was coming down and we had to get out soon.

"Get out of here, Lloyd, get out of here!" Shouted my sister, blocking an attack from the biker.

"No, I'm not going to leave you!" I retorted. My sister came here to save me. I can't leave her. Not now, not ever.

"I've got this. Now go!" Liv screamed again, the biker had knocked away her katana but she quickly summoned a very small green-ish, purple-ish shield around her just before the blades of the gangster swords came crashing down on her.

Liv pulled down the small dome and instead flattened it out so they were small shields around her hands and battled the biker, with her shield swords?

I gaped at her. _My sister and I have the same power?! Sorta kinda, _she looked very hesitant with her power_. Where was she when the overlord showed up?_ My twin smirked at me then continued to battle the biker. I clutched the mask and walked down the wall (Well more like scooted down the wall) as fast as I could. I touched the comlink in my right ear and heard the ear splitting sound of static, I pushed it a couple of times and the static stopped allowing the voice of my team to set in.

"Hey guys, this is Lloyd. Anyone copy?" I said into the com.

"_Lloyd? It's Kai. Are you okay?" _

"Kai! We gotta find the royle family and GET OUT of here." I shouted into the com as I made my way to the throne room.

"_It is good to hear that you're okay, Lloyd. I have secured the princess but can not locate the emperor and empress."_ Said Zane.

"We need to find them." I said, walking faster towards the throne room.

"_GUYS! Backup, backup! Liv is fighting one of the bikers, he has the mask of vengeance!"_Exclaimed Cole.

"_Were on our way." _Said Jay.

**!No ones POV!**

Nya and Kai battled fiercely against the grey skinned women. Every attack she countered, every swing was thrown back at them harder.

"No fair, she's fighting with a motorcycle!" Nya yelled angrily.

Kai was fed up with the female biker. He needs to save his family and get that mask! With determination in his eyes, Kai aimed one of his katanas then threw it right into the front wheel of the bike. The wheel popped, and the woman was thrown into one of the pillars.

"She's out cold, Nice job, Kai." Said Nya, patting her older brothers back. Kai gave her a weak smile, then dashed for the blazing palace.

Cole and Jay were inside fighting the gangsters in an attempt to get to Liv when they stumbled upon Lloyd. Mask of deception clenched tightly to his chest while he sat on the wall trying to catch his breath in the fiery inferno.

"Lloyd!" Exclaimed Jay and Cole. The green ninja watched as the blue and black ninjas ran towards him. The two ninjas wrapped themselves around their youngest brother.

"Ow ow ow." hissed Lloyd. His whole body tensed, face contorted with pain.

Jay quickly removed his hand that was lying on Lloyds right leg then he gasped in horror at the shard of glass in his brother's leg.

"Lloyd, what happened!" Asked Cole, crouching beside Lloyd to examine his injury.

Lloyd winced, "It's fine, just a little piece of glass. Not important. We have to help my sister." He said, attempting to stand.

"Hey, take it easy." Said Cole, already bracing Lloyd on the wall, Cole slipped his arm under Lloyd like a human crutch then looked at the lighting ninja.

"Jay, you go help Liv. Kai is already on his way, Nya is holding off the remaining bikers, and Zane has the princess and is trying to keep the flames at bay" Said Cole, as he helped lead Lloyd out of the palace.

"Where are you going?" Asked Jay.

"I'm taking Lloyd to Zane, he'll help his leg." Answered Cole.

"Got it, oh wait where is Liv?" questioned Jay, turning back around.

"She's in the room where the oni mask was." Replied Lloyd through gritted teeth.

The lightning ninja nodded then ran to help his sister, he only hoped that they were able to make it out in time.

**!Livs POV!**

I was at the end of my rope, I could hear Jay reassuring me that he was almost here to help through the coms, but he sure was taking his time. Fighting this particular gangster was proving to be harder than I thought. He attacked, I countered. I attacked, he attacked with more ferocity.

"Who are you?!" I screamed, throwing another (Small) green/purple-ish orb at the man. The fire was getting bigger, I couldn't stand the thought of being in this inferno any longer. Once again, I hate fire. Because this fire isn't like Kai's fire. It's like _that _fire. Not protective and warm, no, this fire was searing and scary.

The biker didn't reply; he only continued to attack me. _Obviosly he's not going to tell you who he is, dont be stupid._ I managed to grab my katana from the floor and flung myself at the man. He threw up his swords, trapping my one katana in his four then he pushed back sending me into the nar by wall.

I cried out in pain as I hit the wall, the fire licking my face. Panicking with how close I was to the fire, I throw up my green/purple energy shield to protect myself.I've always hated my element of half destruction half energy, It just felt like the more I used it, the more it might control me and that the destructive part of my power would take over. Instead I've relied on my abilities to use weapons more than my actual power. But this guy was making it harder to attack without using my element.

"HEY! Get away from my little sister!" Came a voice from behind me.

I turned to see Jay, lighting crackling in his palms and illuminating his light brown eyes. The biker relented from me and moved towards Jay.

"Jay be careful!" I shouted, lowering my Shield and rushing to join him.

I ran towards Jay and we fought back to back against the man. We were doing our best to hold off the biker until the others showed up, which was hard since he had the mask of vengeance with him.

"We can't hold him off much longer!" I shouted to him, kicking the gangster back.

He only looked at me then continued to fight off the man's attacks with his lighting.

(I, however, _did not _trust using my powers even more than I already had, so I just charged with my sword).

The biker put his four katannas out in front of the blast for Jay, eyes narrowed. He then pressed the katanas together and sent the blast of lightning out with them. Throwing me and Jay to the floor, dazed. My head swam, it was getting harder to breath in the palace. Before I knew it, Jay was positioned in front of me and the biker, hands charged with more lighting.

I stayed on the floor, the fire, the battle, it was too much. But I needed to help Jay!

Jay lashed out at the biker with his nunckes, swinging to try and hit the gangster in a blind stop. But his efforts were fruitless, the biker saw all of his moves and countered them perfectly. The silent gangster swept Jays legs out from under him, Jay hit the tile hard. Nunchucks clattering loudly on the ground. The biker stood over his, triumphantly. Jay huffed.

"Can we at least get your name?" He asked with a nervous chuckle, staring at the four, bright red swords in the bikers hands.

Oh no, no!

Nonono! I panicked, where are they guys?! Jay is about to get skewered and I can't get off this friken floor! Time seemed to slow as the biker brought the swords down on Jay.

"NO!" I screamed, launching a blast of destruction at the four armed gangsters.

Which was a mistake.

The orb hit the man satisfactory in the chest. Sending him into the nearby flames. The fire crackled as he landed. And was consumed in seconds.

I stared at my hands in horror. Oh FSM, I killed him! I killed him, i'm a murder, I'm not a ninja, i'm a monster! Jay was on the ground still. Panting like he'd run a marathon, he slowly stood up and walked over to me. I pulled away, I couldn't hurt Jay, wouldn't hurt anyone else. No way, I would lie down and die.

"Liv, come on, we've been through this. It's okay, It's okay. Look at me. You're okay." Jay said, coming closer and pulling me into a hug.

I didn't hug him back.

"Awww, come on. Don't be like that." he said, hugging me tighter.

"I don't understand…" I whispered to Jay, he pulled away to look me in the eyes.

"Don't understand what?" He questioned.

I shifted uncomfortably. "How can you say that? How can you just _know _that everything is okay?! Jay, I killed a man! How?! How do you know everything will be okay? You guys have elemental powers, and still haven't killed anyone. Why am I different…" I finished in a whisper. My voice was cracking. I wasn't going to cry. And I think if I did I would pass out.

(The air in here is getting really thick)

Jay hugged me again, whispering, "Because we've been through this. I know everything will be okay, because I believe it will be. And sure, we haven't killed anyone, but your powers are different than ours. You and Lloyd have weird powers."

I chuckled a bit. Because our powers_ are_ weird.

"You guys both have to have restraints on yourself, but I've seen that small little flicker of fear in your eyes when you use yours. And I know that what happened in the past was bad, but that's all it is, in the past. Now are we going to sit here and have a heart-to-heart in the middle of a burning palace, _or,_ are you going to hug me back so we can leave. Because I will not let you go until you return my act of kindness." Jay finished. And his grip around me became a whole lot tighter.

Sighing, I hugged Jay back. I guess I'll never know how he manages to cheer me up every time. Like, I was trying to sulk and he ruined it. I had a really, really good reason to sulk. I'm, like, 99% sure that I'll have to go over to the ninjas place tonight.

A few minutes into the battle Kai showed up, with Nya and Cole not too far behind.

"Mind if we crash the party?" Said Nya confidently.

Me and Jay chuckled, reawakening each other and walking over to the three ninja. Because they just so happened to show up right now, and not two minutes before.

"Sorry, guys, Liv kinda, well, that's not important we just need or go." Jay explained, looking at me. I winced.

Cole, Kai, and Nya were confused, but nodded no the less. We started to walk, I looked back to the pit fire that I'd thrown the biker onto. I looked back to my hands. His blood was on my hands. How could I ever just be okay with that? I didn't want more. Jay was by my side in an instant, he placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a sad smile.

We stared at the flames together.

They crackled.

Louder.

Louder…

Louder…

A black, half melted figure arose from the flames. Me and Jay started, incredulous. Because there's no way that guy survived! (Although, I am glad he did). The biker narrowed his eyes at us, glaring eyes stopping on me. He stared right into my green eyes for what seemed like an eternity, I needed to call to the others, but I was too far into my shock to form words. But something caught my eye when I looked down, a small dark green oval looking object was hidden behind his back._ Oh no._

"GRENADE" I shouted, grabbing a dumbstruck Jay. And alerting Cole, Kai, and Nya.

The biker threw the grenade right after I warned my family. I closed my eyes because this was it, we were going to die in the first spinjitzu master damned palace. But when the impact never came, I opened my eyes to see a thick wall of rock surrounding me, Jay, Kai, and Nya. My eyes drifted to Cole. He had his hands outstretched, eyebrows knitted in concentration. Huh? What do you know, rock shield dome from boulder brain.

When the dust cleared the palace was mere moments from collapsing. _We HAVE to get out of here before none of us get out of here!_

"WE _HAVE_ TO GO!" I yelled. The biker that I thought was dead had disappeared, and the palace was starting to shake. If that's not a cue to get out of here, then I don't know what is!

"Got it!" Said Cole, lava arms powering up as he began to punch large holes into his rock dome. It collapsed, we ran. Running through the burning jade palace, jumping over fallen pillars and dodging growing flames until we came across the front doors. We all ran even faster towards the exit, Cole used his lava arm once more to push the massive double doors open and we all bolted.

We walked over where Zane, Lloyd, and the princess were seated on a couple of nearby stones, and by the looks of things it appears that Zane gave up all attempts to try and put out the fire that's consuming the palace. Me, Jay, Nya, and. Cole ran over to Zane. While Kai had a mini crisis over Lloyds leg.

"It's fine Kai, I feel fine." Reassured my brother. He then walked over to me with that awed expression on his face from when he saw my powers.

"I thought there was only _one_ green ninja. How do we have the same powers? Is it a twin thing." Questioned my brother, eyes wild with excitement.

I face palmed, "Llooooyyyyddd! literally just told you like, right before we got here _not _to expose my secret to all of ninjago, that includes the princess."

The others, of course, burst into laughter. I shot them a hard glare, but couldn't keep my own amusement off my face.

Lloyd flushed, "Sorry, sis." He mumbled.

I snorted at the princess' lost expression (Though i'm pretty sure she already knew). I decided to just answer Lloyds question.

"Well not exactly, I don't have your exact power. I got a bit more of the destructive element rather than the energy/golden power that you have." I explained with a heavy sigh. I wish I had the same powers as my twin.

Lloyd nodded in understanding, when I noticed that the mask of deception wasn't with him. I was going to question it but Nya beat me to it.

"Where's the mask?" She said.

Zane and Lloyd exchanged wearily glances, then sighed sadly.

"The sons of garmadon stole it." Said the princess bitterly, "Where are my parents? What about hutchins? Where are they?" She continued.

The seven of us looked at each other, then went to place a hand on the princess shoulder.

"Were so sorry princess, they didn't make it. Hutchins caused the explosion, We don't know if he made it out either…" Said Kai sombery.

The princess looked like she was about to cry, but she turned away to look back to the palace. Now that the last of the fire had died down and the morning sun began to rise, you could really see the damage that was done to it. The once glorious jade palace of ninjago was nothing more than a dustly, collapsed pile of rumple where the former landmark of the city once stood. I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt and sympathy for the princess, she just lost her home and family.

"I-I am alone, once again…" Said the princess, staring at the rubble of her former home.

I could only stare, we failed to do the one thing that me and my family were brought to the palace for. We failed… Something dark and ugly formed in my chest, I wanted the sons of garmadon to pay for the death of the rulers of ninjago.

"You have us now, don't worry we'll find hutchins and make the sons of garmadon pay. They won't get away with this." Reasued Lloyd, placing his hand on the princess shoulder.

Whatever the sons of garmadon are planning, we'll stop them. We have to.

* * *

**AHHHHHHH! THIS. WASN'T. SUPPOSE. TO. BE. THIS. LONG! That part where Liv thought she killed Mr. E was totally random! I was editing this in school and thought, "hey! Why not!" I highly doubted that the guys (and girls) went through that whole inferno of a palace without getting hurt at all! So PLEASE let me know how you felt about this chapter. Don't forget to review and next chapter we'll go into a bit more detail of Liv and Lloyds power difference. Did anyone catch the foreshadowing between Liv and Jay? (This story is still Jaya! Not Liv x Jay).**

**Next time: Lloyd is curious about his sister's powers. Liv is scared of her powers, and her twin starts to think that she doesn't trust him, so he goes to Kai for answers about Livs past...**

_**GreenGirl~**_


	8. Tales to be told

**It takes two**

**Chapter 8**

**Tales to be told**

**Happy martin luther king jr. day everyone!**

**Guess who just went on vacation? Me. Guess who just missed 2 days of school? Me. Guess who has TONS of make up work and homework? Me. Guess who should probably be working on said school work instead of writing about lego kids and their family drama?! Also me! **

**Meh, these kids will be the death of me / Oof 0~0**

**P.s. It's my Grandma's birthday! She and my sis have been a HUGE inspiration in the continuation of this fic! And she 100% deserves to have the best b-day ever! -**

**!No ones POV!**

Livs has never lived with her brother before.

Needless to say ever really been anywhere near as close in vicinity to said brother as it is, but that doesn't mean she's complaining. With the fire gone and the sons of garmadon on the run, for now. The citys been... Kinda quiet. They mourned the loss of the emperor and empress, and the police and fire department agreed to search the ruble for hutchins body.

(That is IF he died when he _mercilessly_ blew_ up_ the palace)

Liv, the guys, Nya, and harumi all went to the bounty, which was apparently stowed away out near the east docks. The group of ninjas and an orphaned princess all made their way onto the old, rickety ship that smells like Uncle Wu's old essential oils and weird teas. But once again she isn't complaining. Well, she _might _be complaining, just a bit, because then again, Kai did use up all the hot water left on the ship because he wanted, and she quotes, "To spite Nya from that time she used up all of his gel." Why Nya used Kai's hair gel is still unknown to the blond.

Liv craned her head over the rail of the bounty as she watched the amazing cities scenery flash by, laughing to herself as she remembers the look on Nyas face when she got into the cold shower, then came sprinting out wrapped in a bathrobe with dripping wet hair trying to tackle Kai. Liv tore her gaze away from the city and instead chose to create a small, purple/green-ish orb of humming energy? Darkness? Whatever her elements a mix of, in her palm. She stared at it,how could she let herself do that? She _almost_ killed that man! Just like - Nope! Nice try, she isn't going to think about that… But just how?

Liv watched as the element of energy mixed with the element of darkness. She watched as her orb of power shifted from forest green to deep purple, as if it's battling itself. She sighed, letting her power dissipate. She can almost hear the screams of fear. See the people pointing and shouting. Smell the fire,_ Oh_ the fire. Feel the anger, the pain, the guilt...The - the _joy._ Liv internally scolded herself, how could she have felt joy throughout that day? Smiled as the fire grew, consuming everything in its path? Laughed as the people screamed? That had been the one time. The _only _time something truly evil, something truly… Dark came out of her power, until yesterday. She thought bitterly. But the worst part, The reason Liv ran from her father, The reasons she's resented ever actually _being _the daughter of lord garmadon.

It's because her father told her to do it. Lied to her and sent her to Ninjago. Told her that it was okay. She could still hear samukai whisper into her ear. "They don't understand you… Make them understand you…"

Liv shuddered.

She hated that day, hated that feeling. So she ran. Escaped the underworld. She ran to her brother, but he had found a better family. Found a better _life_.

"Hey sis."

Livs fight or flight response is _really_ trying to murder someone today. She already drop-kicked Kai when he snuck up on her. Liv Lowered her hand and chose to stare apologetically at her twin.

"Sorry." She muttered.

Lloyd just stared at her, then give Liv a fond smile and went to stand over the railing with her.

"S'okay" He replied.

Lloyd and Liv went silent for a beat, just enjoying each other's company. Liv looked down to her brothers leg, frowning when she saw it wrapped in a bandage that was slowly turning to a dark crimson. Her brother followed her gaze then winced.

"It's not as bad as it looks." He says, placing his hand on Livs shoulder, reassuringly.

Liv nodded and Lloyd continued. "So-oo, What's the deal with your powers? I mean like, my element is energy or, like, green, I guess? But your power was different. It was cool."

Liv shuffled nervously, biting her lip before answering Lloyds question. "Well umm, dads element was, like, dark energy. And I guess I got a bit of his power and the green ninja power, but mostly dads… Power." She answered awkwardly.

Lloyd looked at her in hopefully, "Can you show me? Sounds like a cool little combo."

Liv tried to stifle a snort, and failed horribly. Yeah right, her element is anything _but _cool. Her twin, on the other hand, seems to think her powers are, though. Liv can vaguely remember a time when she thought such as well._ Maybe_ just for Lloyd… Liv finally relented and let the small purple/green sparks dance around her finger tips. The hints of a smile pull at her lips at the look in her brothers eye. He watched as the swirls of purple mixed with green. He then raised his hand and let his own bright green curl around his fingers, the two twins watched together as the green of Lloyd and the purple of Liv fused together, forming a single orb of greens and purples. Suddenly the green swirls in Livs hand vanished, leaving only the vivid purple of dark energy, but as Livs green vanished, Lloyds green brighten into what almost looked like gold.

The two watched the small exchange of power in slight awe, and despite herself, Liv found that she was beginning to like the absence of green in her hand. The magentas, violets, lavender, all mixing together in her hand, she _banished _the feeling just as fast as it came.

The two twins stared a bit more, when suddenly the orb of power from the blondes hand started to glow brighter and brighter with the two elements...

"Are you okay?!" Asked Kai, running towards the two blonde twins lying on the deck of the bounty, looking dazed.

"What was that?!"

"There was another explosion."

"Haven't we had enough of those?"

"Holy-"

"You guys good?"

Blinking stars from his eyes, Lloyd slowly stood up, then helped his sister who looked just as frazzled as him, but there was something in his sister's eyes that put Lloyd on edge. A brief panic sizzled throughout his twins face before she pulled back her mask of a calm, composed older sister.

"Are you guys okay?" Kai asked, a bit more desperately.

"We're fine." Lloyd answered.

"What was that explosion?" Zane questioned.

Lloyd opened his mouth, then closed it, he really didn't know what that explosion was. Had the sons of garmadon bombed the bounty too? No no, the bounty's still in the air. So what caused the explosion?

"Sorry 'bout that guys, my power and Lloyds powers… Stuff…" Replied Liv quietly.

Realization seemed to dawn on the other ninjas faces along with small "oohs." They nodded, made sure the twins were okay, then went back to the bridge. Jay stopped to look back the the female blond. She looked to him, green and amber eyes locking. Jay smiled then walked away.

Lloyd, however, had no idea what was going on and had a million questions. What was that between Liv and Jay? But the other million can wait, because the most pressing question seems to still be his sisters powers.

"Hey sis." The again is unspoken.

"Hi, Lloyd" She replied softly.

"So-o, what was that, y'know? With our powers?" Lloyd pressed, He was going to get some sort of answer.

Liv rubbed her arm, which Lloyd is starting to notice as a nervous habit. She took a bit longer to respond, but eventually sighed heavily and motioned Lloyd to the bedrooms. He followed.

Liv sighed.

She really, really didn't want to tell her brother about the past with her father, but she'd already hid so much from him… So why keep up the charade?

"Lloyd, I - I…" She began.

Lloyd placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and she continued.

"Do you remember what the _overlord _said to you? When you fought him the first time?" She questioned.

"I-I umm yeah, sorta - Wait! You saw that? did you follow us to the dark island?"

Liv rolled her eyes playfully at her younger twins enthuthiasm, "Yes, Lloyd I saw you battle the overlord, not on the dark island, though. I saw you when he came to Ninjago and the overlord became a fricken dragon. Now answer the question."

"Jeez, yeah yeah, I remember that whole battle. What do you wanna know?" He questioned.

"He told you 'that where there is light there will always be shadow-'"

"-Unless_ my_ light is bright enough." Lloyd finished with a quiet chuckle.

"It's the same here, with me and you. Your green energy is what balances out my dark energy, that's why my power is that green/purple-ish color. It's also why that explosion happened. Your green energy drew from mine. Our powers are so extraordinary, that when they are near each other it can be kinda chaotic. Because dark energy and green energy are polar opposites, they repel each other, and it's kinda my fault for not telling you that you need to be focused when using our powers at the same time so we don't blow up half the country. But that only happened because we've never used our powers together, so over time we'll be able to use them together without blowing stuff up." She finished with an overdramatic flop back onto the bed, sighing.

"Drama queen." Lloyd muttered, then ducked the pillow that was chucked at him.

His sister scoffed, "_Your _one to talk."

"Okay, we're _both _dramatic people. Is your power like that with the others? Or just mine?" asked Lloyd.

"Yeah, Its kinda just your power." She replied.

"Okay, well then-"

"Why? _Why_ so many questions? Spare me." Liv breathed, getting on her knees and mock pleading in front of Lloyd.

"OOOH, I'm sorry for being curious about some mystical power given to us by our magical fricken grandfather." Lloyd deadpanned, throwing his hands in the air.

Liv snorted, then pinched the bridge of her nose, amused. "You know your a pain, right? Like, an actual pain in the neck?"

"The one and only." Lloyd said, standing up from the bed. "How can I be of service?"

"Like I said. Drama. King."

"Oh, hush, answer my unspoken question with our twin telepathy." Lloyd sighed, flopping back in the bed, making the weak springs creak.

"Fine fine - wait? Twin telepathy? You know what, never mind." Liv replied, rolling her eyes. But, it would be a lie to say that hadn't thought about twin telepathy being real.

"Why did my power turn gold? It was kinda like when-"

"-You fought the overlord?" Liv suggested.

"Oh, for FSM sake, Can't I get through one sentence?" Lloyd asked.

"Sorry sorry, okay so uhh. Wait wait, did you say gold?" Liv questioned, sounding slightly worried.

"Ummm yeah, my power looked like the golden power… Why? What's wrong?"

Liv shied away, If her brothers power reacted like that to her dark energy… That - that means that her green power isn't keeping the balance within her. It means the balance is offset? That's… Logical? Great now she sounds like Zane. Point being that if Livs powers over darkness are getting worse. What rivals the dark? Light.

Destruction rivals creation.

Darkness rivals the light.

Brother rivals sister?

**!Livs POV!**

Just my rotten, no good, stupid, Garmadon family luck! Lloyd's golden power came back to him because HECK! I'm darkness! He's light! You can't have one without the other. And since my fath - _Garmadon_, Is gone, and Lloyd's golden power was mostly stolen by the overlord then used to give the others pure elemental power, there was no darkness or light. There was balance. FSM, am I becoming - No no_ NO!_ I'm not! I quickly shoved down a mental image of me hurting my baby twin brother. Lloyds my baby brother, i'd never hurt him. _Funny, Garmadon said the same thing. _I wanted to scream. Everything was falling into place. Lloyds powers turing gold, the explosion. His powers were trying to protect him… From me. HAHA, I'd gladly pitch myself off a cliff before letting my powers get anywhere near Lloyd that way, I wasn't about to let that happen again.

"Liv!" Screamed a voice into my ear, which was followed by a short, slightly painful shock to my right arm.

I jolted upwards, my brain slowly trying to register why I was shocked and who had shocked me. Was it Jay?

"What?" I muttered softly, rubbing my right arm and staring up to my twin brother.

"Are you okay? You spaced out on me, what does it matter if my powers were gold?" Questioned a worried green ninja.

"I umm, yeah i'm fi-fine. Don't worry 'bout it." I replied, I didn't want my brother to worry (on second thought, maybe Lloyd should be worried)

"Uhhh okay then, what were you saying… About my power?" Prodded my twin.

I sighed, "Lloyd, I need you to promise me something." If there's even a _small _chance that my power are getting… Of balance, Lloyd should know. He should be prepared.

"Your powers are _pure_ green energy, mine are _dark_ energy. You can't have one without the other, but the only reason yours came back gold… Was because of me and my element, I - It's getting stronger and I-I... I don't know if my green energy is enough to keep it subdued... " I paused, screwing my eyes shut, then continued. "Lloyd, I just don't want to hurt you or the ninjas so please, please just be careful... Around… _Me."_ I looked up to Lloyd, needing to drill this point home.

Lloyd just stared at me, then he got this determined look in his eyes. "Sis, look at me, I'm not afraid of you, and I _never_ will be."

Well one thing for sure, my brother can give some good pep talks. But he needs to understand that this power is not like his, it's dangerous, and If I can't control it… "Lloyd listen to me! I'm serious! Promise me, promise me that you'll be careful!" I shouted.

My brother looked taken aback at my outburst, good. He needs to understand. I sighed, trying to regain a little bit of composure.

_Knock, knock._

"Everything okay in there?" Asked the fire ninja from behind the bedroom door.

"YEAH! We're fine!" I called back, gaining a stare from Lloyd.

"Can I come in?" Continued Kai.

I hesitated, but before I could reply, Lloyd did for me, "Yeah Kai, we were just...Talking." Answered my twin. _Great_. Now I'm probably going to have to explain this to Kai, if he's just as much the mother hen as the others. Which given the way he hovers over Lloyd, he's_ definitely _king of mother hens. Kai came in and sat on the bed across from the one that me and Lloyd crammed ourselves onto. The three of us kinda just sat in the room in what you could consider as awkward silence. Not wanting to explain to Kai about my power situation, I stood from the bed, gave the two ninjas a somewhat good excuse, then shuffled out the door to the bridge. However, I could still feel the lingering stares of my two brothers. Even after I had entered the bridge.

**!Lloyds POV!**

"Kai, I can't believe she thinks I should be scared of her! I wasn't scared of _you_ when _you_ almost blasted me with the staff of elements! Or when Cole, Jay, and Zane all got turned evil by the overlord! Or when Nya was turned evil by the overlord and we had to fight her! And she's my sister, so what if she has powers of utter darkness-"

"Okay, okay, okay. Lloyd I know, but I also know her, and I understand why. Liv doesn't have the same powers as you, and something… Well, a lot of somethings happened with them, she's scared of _herself, _and if she's scared of herself she thinks that you should be scared too. Liv means well, and please stop ranting, you sound like Jay."

I glared at Kai, "Look, I know that you guys have _all _known my twin longer than me, but _I'm trying_ to get to know her too. And I _can't_ get to know her if she won't _talk_ to me."

Kai opened his mouth, then closed it, opened it again, changed his mind, sighed, then spoke. "Like when you run off because your about to have some meltdown, but don't want us to know about because one) i'll smother you till you spill. two) You want to keep the charade of a composed team leader?" He finished with a smirk.

"Kai, thats… Different."

"Is it?"

I scowled, that's my line.

"Listen, green machine. She'll tell you when she's ready." Stated Kai, he placed his hand on my shoulder and smiled, then he got up. I wasn't about to let him leave just yet.

"Wait, what happened with Livs powers? You know, don't you Kai." I inquired, If my twin was hiding some deep dark secret from her past, I wanted to know about, because I've made some stuid mistakes too, I just want her to feel she can trust me.

Kai looked like he was debating whether to tell me or not, it's obvious that he knows. He looked around warily, closed the door then sat on my bunk. "Liv used to live in the underworld with garmadon. She grew up in a place of darkness, then had powers of darkness." Kai paused, I nodded for him to continue.

"She told Jay, then Jay told us that a few days before she ran, that garmadon had ordered samukai to take her to the surface, to_ have fun_ with her powers, Liv went and bad things happened…" Kai took in a shaky breath, this story was really getting to him.

"What...What kind of _bad _things?" I asked cautiously.

"He - Jay didn't tell us, just said that bad things happened and that's why she ran to find you." Kai finished, taking a breathe then standing. "If you want to know what happened, ask your sister, or Jay, but dont push it."

"Okay, okay." I replied, throwing my hand up in the air dramatically.

Seeming satisfied, Kai left but not before letting me know that we all had to meet in the bridge for a mission debrief.

What was going on with my twin? Why doesn't she trust me?

* * *

**ANNNNNND! We're done. Here's chapter 8 thanks for all the support on this fic, next chapter will be Lloyd and Liv meeting mistaké and a bit of a flashback from Livs past… Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please don't forget to review, and most importantly let me know if any one seems out of character. **

**Next time: The ninja split on different missions to figure out who's in charge of the sons of Garmdon, while Jay, Lloyd, and Liv go to mystakés tea shop and discover life changing secrets. And we get a look into what happened that day in the underworld that caused Liv to abandon her father. While Harumi is having second thoughts about her plan...**

_**GreenGirl~**_


	9. For Kobe, of teas and murals

**It takes two**

**Chapter 9**

**For Kobe, of teas and murals**

** I ****can't even say how sorry I am for missing updates! But guys school. Missing two days of school sucks. Because then all you teacher wanna assign a whole bunch of work when your gone and then just except you to make it up in the next day. T-T**

**But first. This is for Kobe and his daughter Gianna! They were incredible. We grew up shouting his name, and will continue to do so. So in that case, FOR KOBE!**

**Quick p.s, so some of the dialogue comes straight from episode 'The Oni and the dragon' in season 8 episode 3. I do NOT own lego ninjago or any of it's characters I only own my OC! (which is Liv garmadon!)**

**!No ones POV!**

"Well, what about the suspect from the heist at Borg tower? I can stay with Harumi if you guys wanna press 'em." Nya says, typing away on the destiny's bounty main frame.

The protectors of Ninjago, a new found twin, and an orphaned royal were plowing through all of their resources in hopes of finding any useful in tail about the rising threat presented by the sons of garmadon.

"The police have him in custody, but he refuses to talk." Added Pixal.

"Well if johnny law can't crack em' maybe johnny ninja can." Kai said, with a crack of his knuckles.

The group slowly turned to the resident fire ninja.

"What?"

* * *

"Mystaké's tea shop?" wondered the master of earth. Pushing open the door into an old tea shop.

The five ninjas walked into the small, dimly lit tea shop to find an elderly woman standing precariously on a ladder, placing jars of tea leaves onto a nearby shelf. The elder had grey hair pulled into a low bun. She had on a straw hat that concealed her wrinkled face. Liv felt that this tea shop was comforting in ways that only belonged to her late uncle. The smell of the tea, the tapestry on the wall. This is where uncle Wu must've gotten all of his tea. She was suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of grief, Liv hadn't known her uncle, but still loved to see him when she visited the ninjas. She was shaken from that train of thought when she heard an all too familiar name on an unfamiliar voice.

"It is wonderful to see you, young Garmadon. My, you've grown since I last saw you." Came the scratchy voice of the elderly owner of the tea shop.

"You know us?" Questioned the blonde girl shyly, and somewhat a bit protectively, inching closer to her twin brother (mostly out of shyness, Liv barely knows this person, the old shop owner puts her a bit on edge)

"Sis, this is mystaké. She's a friend of uncle Wu." Said the blonds twin.

Liv nodded slightly, glancing around the tea shop once more. The owner of the shop definitely looks like the type of person who would be great friends with her uncle.

"It is a pleasure to see you, Lloyd. And who might you be, child, I did not know Garmadon had a daughter." Said Mystaké moving towards the young elemental twins.

_Ha, did anybody? _Thought the teen before flashing a shy smile for Mystaké, "Nice to meet you Mystaké. I'm Liv garmadon, Lloyd's older twin."

Mystaké smiled, "ah, you too look just like each other." She then turned to address the rest of the teens who stood awkwardly in the small tea shop. "While it is always a pleasure to have a visit from the students of Wu, surely you didn't just come to say..._ Hello_." The woman inquired, sipping from her cup of tea - wait tea? Where did she get the cup from?

"Yeah Lloyd, I thought we were in a rush to get to the police station?" Added Jay, who looked amused and uneasy by Mystakés weird behavior.

"If the perp doesn't talk, we'll need something to loosen his lips." Said Lloyd, Mystaké smiled.

"What did you-" She took a sip of her tea, "-Have in mind."

The green ninja and old tea shop owner exchanged smiles, while the blond boys twin and three brothers exchanged confused glances. What _did _he have in mind?

* * *

After a bit of waiting, Mystaké came out from behind her beaded curtains with a jar containing the tea of truth tea leaves, she handed the jar to Zane. But in doing so revealed a painting of what looked like a dragon and a human made of smoke, circling a tree on the far wall of the storage room where the elder just came from.

"Wait! Mystaké, that painting?" Question Lloyd, Pointing to the mural hanging on the back wall of the storage room.

Mystaké looked back to the painting then sighed, "Hm? Ah yes, the Oni and the Dragon, but you are not ready for that tale…"

Lloyd, suddenly interested replied,"Please we need to know."

The old woman sighed once more, "It is a long tale… Do you have the time?"

Lloyd looked to Zane, who nodded in response, "Zane and Cole, go to the police station, try and get some answers. Me, Jay, and Liv will stay here."

The group nodded and set off on their different tasks, Mystaké led the three teens into the back room while Zane and Cole left to the police station with the tea of truth.

"Come! To know the tale you must drink the tea…" Commanded Mystaké, waving the three teens into the back room.

Liv looked to Jay, who smiled reassuringly before following Lloyd behind the curtains.

"The tea of enlightenment will help you see the tale. The original tale! The Tale of the Oni and the Dragon…!" Exclaimed Mystaké, waving her porcelain teapot in the air dramatically.

Liv and Jay looked at each other worriedly. The lighting ninja swirled his hand around his temples, mouthing 'crazy'. Liv started to snicker before remembering that she was drinking tea, then began to choke._ Why_ were they drinking tea given to them by some weird lady that Lloyd claims was friends with uncle Wu? (Who is also really weird in hindsight, now that she thinks about it).

"_Long before time had a name-!" _Began Mystaké.

"Wait, haven't we heard this before? Long before time had a name… Blah, blah blah, the first spinjitzu master and all that?" Asked Jay, taking a sip of his own tea.

"This is a different tale! Now let me finish!" Mystaké snapped, glaring at Jay.

Liv and Lloyd both snickered while the blue ninjas cheeks flushed. The mysterious woman continued her story.

"_There was the realm of the Oni and a Dragon."_ She continued, before being cut off again.

"Wait, one of the 16 realms?" Questioned the green ninja.

Mystaké turned to glared at the blond boy who's just interrupted her tale, you would think Wu's students would be more… Polite. "Not one of. The first. _The dragon had the power to create… The Oni had the power to destroy."_

Liv shuddered, sipping her tea cautiously. Not sure if she really wants to be _enlightened _by Mistake anymore. The flinch however did not escape the attention of the lighting ninja. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a tight, reassuring squeeze. She smiled gratefully at him.

"_Their war was never ending… But a child arrived, born of both worlds. The child understood the power of both. Without one, you could not have the other. But when the Oni and the Dragon fought over which side the boy should choose… The child abandon their world to start a new one called… Ninjago…!" _Mystake finished in a whisper, taking in the expressions on her guests' faces.

The Three teen gaped at the elderly woman, who smirked in return, Lloyd was the first to shake off his initial shock, "Are you telling me… That the child born from both worlds, was the first spinjitzu master?"

Mystaké nodded, pouring more tea into her own empty cup.

"Heh, hey! You guys are related! Oh! That means you're part Oni and Dragon too!" Exclaimed Jay, who looked overall exited by the news.

Liv, however, looked slightly less at ease with this new revelation, staring at her tea cup with a ferocity to shatter it. Lloyd and Jay curiosity tuned back into Mystakés tale.

"_After the first spinjitzu master created ninjago, he fathered two sons of his own. He thought he could escape the war, but he saw the evil of the Oni was waiting to be unleashed in one of his sons… LORD GARMADON…!"_ Exclaimed Mystaké, Jay and Lloyd both looked to Liv, who still looked like she wanted to cover her ears and bolt out the storage room.

Mystaké, seeming to have not noticed the staring between the teens continued her story, _"It was up to master Wu to control his brothers undying thirst to destroy, and with some help - Lord Garmadon was destroyed by the most powerful force of all: The love of his own son." The elder looked to the green ninja, where he was smiling sadly into his tea. "But in his absence, a void was created. And in that void, a new darkness has arisen…!"_

"The sons of garmadon…" Muttered the lighting ninja.

"The three Oni masks are relics from the first realm, and wield tremendous power…" Said Mystaké, waving her hands around.

"_The power to deceive!"_

"_The power of vengeance!"_

"_The power… To hate!"_

The elementals all looked at each other in worry, "What happens when all the masks are united?" Asked the elemental of dark energy.

"You_ CANNOT _let that happen!" Shouted Mystaké, even she looked scared.

The ninjas looked to each other, Jay taking a long slurp of his tea, Lloyd comforting his twin, who's on the verge of bolting. "What will happen if all the masks are united? We need to be prepared." Liv asked again, sounding desperate.

Mystaké made a looked away briefly, pity flashing in her eyes before she turned back to the twins. She sighed sadly before regaining her 'story telling' confidence, "If all the masks are united the sons of garmadon will have the power to bring back… Your FATHER!"

Jay gasped dramatically.

A million emotions crossed Lloyd's face while he absorbed the news.

Liv however, went still as a rock, dropping her tea cup in the process.

The two boys went to make sure she was okay, Liv brushed off their worrying comments, pulled her mask back up and forced her ears to listen to what else Mystaké had to say._ Her father is gone! Her father is gone! He drowned with the preeminent! He's LONG GONE! _Liv repeated in her head like a mantra.

It also doesn't help that the last time she saw her father was right after the whole… _Incident_ happened with her powers and samukai four years ago. She never met him after he became a sensei and regretted it since. She just couldn't bring herself to do it, and then - then he sacrificed himself for ninjago… And Liv finally saw the man that the people honored, the sensei that the ninja looked up to, the father that Lloyd loved… She needs to get out of this tea shop now!

"But it won't be the man you recognize! There will be no light left in him!" Mystaké exclaimed, lowering her head.

Jay put his hand on Lloyd's shoulder, but when Lloyd looked to his twin, she was gone. The three of them stood up. But only heard the door bells chime... As Liv ran.

* * *

The jade princess of ninjago stood in the ninjas shared room, rummaging through her small duffel bag before pulling out two photographs, one old and one new. She stared at the first photo of a little girl with two long platinum blonde braids. Wearing a coral colored shirt sitting on the shoulders of a tall man with light brown hair and a straw hat, a woman was also in the old photo, with slightly grayed hair and a similar straw hat to the man. Harumi smiled at the picture of her late parents and felt the large void in her heart grow. She could still hear the laughter of her parents and the _click _of the camera. The young princess's hand hovered over the man and woman in the photo longingly. She carefully placed the old photo behind the newer one, frowning, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes as Harumi stared at the picture of her late foster parents, the emperor and empress. An all too familiar feeling brewed in the dark void of her chest. A feeling that she knew all too well… Anger!

Harumi knew what she was doing when she arranged the bombing. Planed it down to the millisecond. She couldn't have second thoughts, not now, not ever! _Not her REAL parents! It was a political stunt!_ No, Harumi's real parents were killed when the praised green ninja, savior of ninjago, released the serpentine from their holes. But no matter how hard Harumi tried, she couldn't suppress the way she felt towards the emperor and empress. But that was in the past, it all needed to happen. She knows that. Her plan is worth it. All her pain, worth it! All the sleepless nights studying scrolls about the Oni, worth it! But was killing the people who took her in when she was lost worth it? Was killing the people who gave her hot food and cozy blankets worth it? Was killing the people who told her that everything was gonna be okay… Worth it?

The princess swiped angrily at her now wet eyes. She wouldn't shed tears over them. She couldn't shed tears of them! They weren't her real parents, Harumi can't cry over them when she was the one who sealed their fate. Harumi got up from the bed and went to hang the pictures of her late family on the rather small bulletin board owned by the resident ninja. Harumi stared at the photos on the board. Saw all the smiles, all the people, all the moments that these ninjas shared with each other. But her once tears of sadness over the fallen rulers of ninjago, were replaced by tears of anger.

They.

Don't.

Deserve.

Any.

Of.

It!

How could these people be so happy while she was so mad? How could they smile while she frowned? How could they laugh while she cried? Harumi knew the answers to all of her questions. Because the ninja picked up the broken pieces of their own families, and found others with broken, shattered families, and put the pieces together. Forming something new. A new, but bruised family. Instead of sulking over what they had lost, like her. They rebuilt with what they had… And for the first time, the first time, Harumi wished she could take it back. She wanted to take it all back. She wanted to undo what had been done.

The girl slid to the ground in tears of - Who even knows what for now?! Harumi's feelings were a jumbled mess. (Kinda like the basket of dirty clothes sitting in the laundry room that she had found while wondering 'innocently' through the bounty's halls)

Harumi perked up when she heard the sound of footsteps, growing closer. She quickly stood up, wiping her tear stricken face. Surely enough, a figure in a lavender hoodie came running into the room, slamming the door fiercely behind them. The person in the lavender hoodie twisted the lock shut, let out a shaky sigh, then sank onto one of the beds, sobbing.

Harumi stayed glued to the spot she was standing in, dumbfounded. The person hadn't noticed her, but she noticed the person. It was the green ninjas twin, Liv, right? She hadn't really paid attention to her name, just stood there and compared the little ways that Liv and her twin brother resemble their father. Harumi stayed put for a few more moments before the young master of darkness's sobs slowed to nothing but wet sniffles. When the teenage girl finally dragged her head from her knees the first thing she saw was a slightly shocked (Slightly puffy eyed). Jade princess.

"OH! FSM! I'm so so sorry!" Panicked Liv, cheeks turning a bright red as she stood to leave.

Harumi gaped before regaining a bit of her composer, "No, no! It's - it's okay."

"I - No, I should have seen you in here - and I just sat - and I just… Sorry." Liv shrank into her hoodie, embarrassed.

"Do you-" Harumi bit her lip. The two girls haven't really talked since their little run in with each other during the emperor's speech when Harumi found out the teens secret. Was she really in a good spot to provide comfort? Especially to a girl that she doesn't even know? If she wanted to gain the blond girls trust, Harumi had to do this… Or at least try, right? All for her first spinjitzu master damned plan.

Liv, on the other hand, had already known where this conversation was headed, and preferred not to talk about her current emotional stability with the princess. Though, she's pretty sure that option got blown to smithereens the moment she ran into the boys room and had a breakdown.

"Do you wanna talk… About it? Might help." Asked Harumi, nervously.

The elemental stiffed, it would help to talk about it, right? Maybe not into detail or anything. But just a quick run-down? I mean, she would have to talk about it eventually. So maybe the princess can help get the boys to lay off on the questions a bit?

Maybe?

(Although,getting her twin to lay off might be more challenging than others… Him and Kai that is. Yup, Livs seen the way Kai can pry information out of people. Especially their youngest brother. A trait that her twin, to Liv's utter dismay, picked up. But in all honesty, the only person who's been able to pry info outta Liv has been Jay. So If anyone has a chance, its him. Which, still, is to Liv's utter dismay).

"Yeah." Liv breathed, she motioned for the princess to sit on the bed with her.

"So-oo, what happened? You just ran in and started to cry, I was worried…" Harumi asked, pulling up her mask as the loving jade princess.

Liv played with the drawstrings of her hoodie before answering, "Me and my brother found out something… About the sons of garmadon, and our... Self's."

Harumi stayed silent. Her men can't be that bad. Right? No, she's got this. Her identity is still safe. That's all that matters for now.

Seeing that Harumi stayed quiet, the ninja continued. "We found out that - that-" Liv stopped mid sentence, glancing at a small framed photo sitting on the boys dresser.

Standing up, Liv walked over to the picture. She almost cried again when she saw the framed photograph. It was a picture of her baby brother and her _father_, but the man in the picture was not like the father she knew to love and hate. It was of a man, whose made many mistakes and knows it, but is trying. Just trying for his family, to make them right. Liv hadn't seen her father when he was purged of the evil from the great devour, even when he would question the ninja about where she was when Lloyd wasn't looking. Liv never went to see him. And holds no guilt.

Harumi came over and peered over the girls shoulder to get a better look at said photograph, It's Garmadon? That can't be the same man who destroyed the great devour and saved ninjago! But Harumis heard the story, Blah Blah Lord Garmadon defeated by the power of his son… Blah blah blah, became a sensei, vowed never to fight. Blah blah blah, sacrificed himself to save ninjago from the anacondrai-wannabes. But what the princess thinks if most interesting, is that after losing garmadon again and again, Lloyd was the one who banished him to the cursed realm, Lloyd was the one who insisted that the ninja go to Chen's island to save their robot friend. And you'd be a fool to think that Harumi wasn't going to use that knowledge… To _her_ best interest.

"Is that your father?" Asked the princess.

Liv sighed then nodded slowly, she wants to tell somebody about what happened that day… "Yeah, that's… Him."

"I've heard so many stories of him. Such anger. He hurt so many people." Said the princess quietly. But Harumi could have sworn she heard the green ninjas twin mutter 'Yeah me too'. Deciding that this information could be useful leverage, Harumi pursued her target.

"Like father, like daughter?" She pressed.

The girl in question laughed bitterly, of course the princess was gonna press her on what happened! "I've done stuff, with this-" Liv brought a purple/greenish orb to life in her palm. She let it dance around her fingers.

The princess watched in awe at Livs power, she has the power of both dark, and green energy?! This could change everything… Maybe if she can get a bit of the Oni side of the green ninjas twin to show… She clearly has more darkness in her… The girls power flickered out from the purple/green to a dark, vivid purple. Any trace of green energy was gone from Livs hand. The girl looked panicked. Her eyes flashed a bright violet before she quickly extinguished the sparks of power, forcing her eyes to return to their natural (Or as natural as possible). Bright green. Harumis knows that the Garmadon family isn't human, well, with the exception of Misako.

Harumi watched as Lloyd's twin reigned her powers back under, watched as she stared in fear at her hand. The elemental was so resigned with her powers. Both of the twins were resigned with their powers, they both understood how much power each wielded. Anger flashed across Livs face as her eyes finally settled back into their bright (Unnatural) shade of green.

The princess sighed heavily, "Anger is like holding a hot rock. Only _you_ get burned." Wow, now she's the expert on dealing with anger?

Liv sighed. If only it was that easy.

* * *

_Flash Back to the underworld, 4 years ago..._

"_Dad? Dad? Where are we going?" Asked a young Liv garmadon._

_Her father sighed foundly, "You are going with samukai to the surface world." He replied to his young daughter._

"_But why?"_

"_Your going to the surface world to train your… Skills." Answered Garmadon, was it really a good idea to tell his daughter that she was just going to destroy a village trying to train her destructive powers? No, he would let samukai do that. If anything she'll take her anger out on the skeleton general and not the lord of darkness._

"_Okay" Replied The young girl._

_The two walked in silence through the winding caves of their home. The only light coming from the small torches hanging on the wall. And of course, what little light came from the slight glow of the twos bright red eyes. They walked to the portal where samukai was waiting for them. Garmadon gave his daughter's hand a quick squeeze, She's never been above ground. Maybe that's a good thing. Fear will contribute to her powers strength._

"_My dark lord, we are ready to begin departure to ninjago." Samukai Informed the pair._

_Liv looked to her father worriedly, "Daddy?" She whispered, inching further behind Garmadon._

_He looked down to the small blond girl that came just below his knees. Garmadon swooped up his daughter, taking in the similarities between her and his son. Oh how he missed his son. "It will be okay, go with Samukai. You'll be back before nightfall." He assured his daughter, placing her back on the floor next to the general. He looked to the general of the skeleton army, the murderous 'or else' was unspoken._

_The general nodded, picking up the young girl and carrying her to the large skeleton themed monster truck. _

_Garmadon watched as his daughter waved good-bye, he waved back. Even long after they had vanished through the portal, Garmadon still found himself waving after his small daughter. It was all for his plan; to recreate ninjago in his own image. It was the only way he and his family could be together, forever. He just needed his daughters powers to get stronger so she could rule Ninjago with hi__m._

* * *

_Present day New ninjago city…_

"_Glow little glow-worm Glow and glimmer!" Sang Cole, "Swim through the sea of night little swimmer! SHINE! Glow little glow-worm!" _

The five ninjas, and one princess, stared at the show in front of them, watching as Cole, the earth ninja sand a children's song in front of a whole bar of crazy bikers on a supposed stealth mission to find out whos in charge of the sons of garmadon.

Jay nudged the red ninja, "What is Cole doing?" He asked through snickers.

Kai turned to him, "I don't know, But please tell me you're recording this."

The two of them snickered as they watched Cole twirl the microphone stand then performed some rather odd dance moves. Which apparently, was all the fire and lighting ninjas needed to burst into hysterical laughter. The others joining not to long after, even Liv let out a few chuckles despite her current mental state.

"Zane has informed me that he has a plan to gain the sons of garmadons trust. But for it to work we have to trust him." Pixal informed the group of laughing teens and princess.

"Uh... no one answered my question…" Said Kai, waving his hands around.

"Yes, Kai, yes, I am recording. And I'm making copies. Lots of copies!" Exclaimed Jay, Still laughing like a maniac at the off-key sounds coming from the screen.

The crowd of once laughing bikers turned to a chorus of boos. Cole continued to dance, shooting his undercover nindroid brother the you-so-owe-me-for-this-I-swear-to-FSM! Look. Everything was going great (Well as great as you would expect). Until their plan came crashing down on them. The crowd of gangsters began to throw their (still filled) cups at Cole, who did his best to dodge the flying projectiles, till he slipped on the wet stage and fell to the floor, losing his fake mustache in the process.

Not noticing this, Cole stood up, only for his fake stitches to fall off as well. The earth elemental stood and smiled sheepishly at the crowd.

"HEY! He's one of those ninjas!" Shouted one of the gang members.

"Grab him!" Demanded Ultra violet.

The cries of the sons of garmadon erupted from the bar, and the black ninja found himself trapped in between a rock and a hard place. Cole grabbed the microphone stand and fought off the bikers approaching the stage.

"Help me, Zane! Where are you?!" He yelled, before being pushed to the ground from behind.

Behind the black ninja was the white ninja, Zane. He shot his brother an apologetic look before turning around to the sons of garmadon standing behind him, "Find this Zane and grab him too!" Ordered the nindroid, in as much of a menacing tone as he could muster, waving the stoll he used to throw the earth master off his feet as the bikers carried the unconscious Cole off stage.

Back on the destiny's bounty, all the laughter of its occupants died abruptly. And was replaced by a stunned silence. "Why isn't Zane helping him?!" Cried the Blue ninja.

"Zane has blocked all communication." Pixal told the group, even through her automated voice it was clear she was worried. Debate broke out between the ninjas.

"Guys this is our only lead. We might not get a second chance." Liv informed.

"Zane wants us to trust him." Replied Lloyd calmly.

"_Zane_ is letting this happen!" Exclaimed Jay, who was worried about his best friend.

"I'm not waiting for the coach to put me in. I'm going, sorry, Lloyd." Said Kai, pushing past his team and giving his youngest brother an apologetic look, before rushing to the deck.

"Pixal, watch over rumi." Lloyd told Pixal before following Kai.

Jay, and Liv were quick to follow. Harumi calling after them, "I can handle myself!" She shouted angrily, making her way after the group of elemental's.

Nya turned back to the princess, she'd been in that position too. Funny. "I know how it feels, but Lloyd's right. Our first order is to protect you." Then Nya was gone.

Harumi glared at the water ninja as she joined her all mighty ninja family on the ledge of the destiny's bounty, they were getting closer to her plan.

But so was she.

* * *

**YAY! Longest chapter so far. Clocking in at about 5k! I really have no set length for these chapters, but I try to keep them in between 2k-5k. So I hope you liked it. I had a really fun time writing harumi! I just think she's an awesome character and would have loved if the show kept her alive. But if that happened we would have never gotten Lloyd and Akita. I low-key love Akita… But I also would've loved to see the fallout between Harumi and the ninja, after what she did to Lloyd. Probably like, multiple threats from Kai and Nya XD. Hope you guys liked this chapter! Please review I appreciate every single one of you guys who's Favorited/followed this story. **

**Next time: When Zane is faced with destruction when an undercover mission goes wrong. Harumi's plan to get closer to the twins is put into action. And the game of masks begins… **

_**GreenGirl~**_


	10. A ninjas guide to joining a biker gang!

**It takes two**

**Chapter 10**

**A ninja's guide to joining a biker gang! **

**HAPPY 10TH CHAPTER YA'LL! **

**Back in school… Sadly T-T. How did you guys like the little one-shot about Liv and Jay? Like, I finished it at 2am… But it was totally worth it! I've taken to like writing without POVS. The following chapters will be written in 3rd person narrative.**

* * *

The trap had been set.

There's no turning back now.

She can't.

Harumi is too far into her plan to stop now. But the worried looks on the ninjas faces while they look for their robot brother is making her stomach turn. She couldn't feel bad. Because once again, it was for her plan. This is what she wants… So here she is. Sitting on the deck of the bounty, in the dead of night, while the rest of the ships occupants swarm around looking for Zane.

"Hi."

Harumi almost pulled her dagger on the ninja who was unlucky enough to sneak up on her. _Almost_. Pulling her hand away from her hidden dagger, Harumi smiled at the green ninjas twin. She had been hoping it to be Lloyd, but his girl twin was just as good. She really only needed one for her plan to work.

"Hello, Liv, right?" Harumi asked innocently.

The blond in question nodded, coming to lean over the rails with the princess. The two teens sat in silence. Neither having the courage to speak first. But, if Harumi wanted to get closer to the Garmadons, she would have to light the match, but to Harumi's dismay, she wouldn't get that chance.

"He's here! Zane! He's here!" Shouted Nya, running to deck towards the two startled teens.

Harumi hastily made her escape as the rest of the ninja team scrambled down the stairs, tripping over each other in their hurry to find their brother. Liv's face lit up the moment her android brothers name left Nyas lips. She was sprinting towards Lloyd in seconds.

"You guys found him?" Liv questioned, features beaming with hope.

Harumi stomach twisted in guilt. She told Mr. E to take care of the nindroid and place the trap, but the robots a ninja. There's no way Mr. E just stuck a virus on the bot and ran off. He's good, but not that good. But she couldn't feel that way, wouldn't feel that way. Harumi knows what she's doing.

"Kai! Get the searchlight ready! Pixal traced Zane's new falcon to _this_ desert range!" Nya shouted orders to her brothers. It's been a whole day! Zane would have found someway to contact them, to tell them that he's okay. But radios have been silent. And the water ninja didn't like the quiet alarms in her head telling her that some things not right.

'We're doing it! We're doing it!" The fire ninja yelled back, heaving the searchlight into position. He grunted in anger when he flipped the switch to the dead searchlight.

"JAY! Come here and fix this overgrown, useless light!"

Jay sighed, but rushed to his hotheaded brothers aid nonetheless. Small sparks lit up in his hands, he smiled, then brought both hands down on the panels of the light. It flickered, then the searchlight lit up, momentarily blinding the two ninjas. Blinking the last black spots from his eyes, Kai thanked his brother, then quickly turned the light towards the desilet desert below.

"Guys! Guys! I think I see him! I think I see Zane! Move the light over there!" Liv exclaimed, pointing to a small clearing at the bottom of a cliff.

The guilt twisted deeper. Zane, cliff bottom…. No, clearly Mr. E didn't go that far! The androids no use to the plan if he's scrapped! Harumi waited, maybe that wasn't the robot. But in all honesty, when have any of her wishes come true? There in the sand, lay Zane. The occupants of the bounty gasped. Harumi did too (Wither out of her need to keep up her chararade, or out of pure shock). She looked away, not wanting to see what her men had done to the robot. She finally carried out her retreat to the cabin.

"ZANE!"

Liv would have liked to say that she was the first to summon her elemental dragon, and flew down to her nindroid brothers aid. Would have liked to say that she had promised him that everything would be okay, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. Would have liked to say that she snapped right into action to help…

But that wasn't her.

Liv was stuck in her spot. Watching as her brothers and sister ran to help Zane, watched as pixal lowered the gurney, watched as the team rushed Zane to the medical bay. All she does is watch. Her ears were buzzing, vision going foggy, she felt like she was going to pass out. But out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Harumi making her way to the cabin.

And to say that Liv didn't like the princess was… Somewhat true… But Liv is trying. Okay? She's trying. Sighing, Liv followed the princess to the cabin. It was better than seeing Zane how he is. Liv would see him later.

* * *

Harumi slipped into the ninjas room, unnoticed. She went over to the small bulletin board, tracing her hand over both sets of parents. Would her parents have wanted this for her? No really, would they? Harumi didn't even know what her parents would say anymore. Her thoughts were twisted and bitter. She could only hear the sound of her revenge. She would get revenge on the ninja, on Lloyd, for destroying her life! She would avenge her parents! They died for her! They died so she could live, threw their own lies out the window for her! Harumi parents knew they weren't going to make it out of that building alive. They should have let her die with them. Now she's become this! Covered in hatred, in sadness, in guilt.

"Hey."

"Holy cra - FSM." Harumi exclaimed, hand clenched tightly around the hilt of her knife hidden in the fabric of her dark green kimono.

Liv looked surprised. Did the princess of ninja almost curse? "I'm sorry, we gotta stop doing this to each other." She replied, awkwardly rubbing her arm.

Harumi quickly removed her hand from the dagger, smiling at Liv. She was starting to like this girl. "No, no your fine." She said.

The two just stared at each other in silence again. Both wanting to say something but not knowing how to say it. Liv finally spoke first. "We found him, Zane." She said, looking at the princess.

… No, really?

Harumi laughed, "Yeah, I could kinda tell. Or are you guys always like that." the princess asked, raising an eyebrow.

Liv remained silent, because it kinda _is_ like that all the time. Someone is always getting kidnapped, always getting hurt, always getting into some sort of trouble. And it drives the teen crazy! She just wants her family to stay safe, just for, like, a month? No, they've gone a month. A year! Liv wants her family to go a year, just one, small year where her family's safe and sound. Where there's no threat to the public, no big bad stop. No missing uncle to find. Nothing, just nothing. She wants to be_ safe._

At Livs sudden silence, Harumi started to panic. She needed to get close to at least one garmadon twin! Had she said the wrong thing? Crossed some unspoken line?

"Yeah, yeah… It's kinda like this. Sorry if we scared you or anything." Liv finally spoke, a faraway look in her eyes.

Harumi felt like she had just tripped an invisible wire. But she smiled nonetheless. Taking in the way the elemental's jaw worked. Finally deciding against what she was gonna say, Liv sighed, turning to leave. She wouldn't bother the princess with her insensitive questions.

Harumi, on the other hand, wasn't done talking to the blond. "Did you want to say something?" She asked, pushing herself from the bulletin board.

"Oh, uh, I - What happened… To your parents?" Liv asked shyly, twirling a lose strand of her light blond hair.

Harumi almost scoffed. She hates that day with a passion. But, she does need to stall a bit more… All for her plan… But that was the worst day of her life. Remembering that day… Harumi felt more obligated to the fact that she had to do this. Maybe it wasn't all the ninjas fault that day… But they couldn't save her family… Lots of people died that day… She couldn't ignore that. The ninja are most certainly NOT the protectors of Ninjago, more like its destroyers. But if anyone was to blame… It's Lloyd. He released the serpentine. He releases pythor. It all started with him. She knows what she has to do.

Liv sat patiently. Waiting to see if Harumi was going to answer. Though, to be honest, Liv didn't mean to ask the question in the first place. It just popped up in her head, so she asked. But - God damn it. She's trying to get to know the princess. Or, at least be cool with her since she was going to be staying with her family for a while. And it wouldn't be so bad as to get rid of _some _of the tension, right?

* * *

"Are you kidding? There's no way that really happened!"

"It's true! I hid out in their for two days!"

Liv laughed brightly. The princess just finished telling her about the time she accidentally found one of the secrets passages in the jade palace and how she turned it into her little cozy hangout spot. Maybe the princess wasn't as bad as she thought…

The two teens laughed. Purple/green-ish sparks exploded around Liv in a playful flurry. Harumi watched carefully as they did. But, she was starting to like hanging out with the green ninjas twin. This girl wasn't at fault like the ninja. Maybe she would join harumi when the time came? She was almost positive that Lloyd would join her. Harumi just had to play her cards just right. Lloyd is incredibly sweet. But guilty. She can't let her feelings for the boy who released the serpentine interfere with the plan.

But, that doesn't mean she going leave the party without taking a gift.

The blonds exchanged stories about their pasts. Liv telling Harumi somethings about the underworld, while Harumi told her about her life in the palace. They laughed together. But every story shared between them made it harder for Harumi to want to fight her. Liv was kind and sweet and funny, harumi didn't want to fight her. She didn't.

A knock at the door halted the girls laughter. Harumi excused herself and stood to open it. In came Lloyd, eyes slightly blood-shot. Liv quickly stood, rushing over to her younger twin. Their previous mood forgotten.

"Hey, you good?" She asked, throwing her arm around Lloyd.

Lloyd didn't respond. Which only caused the blond to worry more."Liv, Zane's okay. But we need you guys in the med bay." He said softly.

The two girls looked at each other, then nodded. Liv didn't want to see Zane hurt. She'd been avoiding going to see him. But at least she would have rumi.

They walked side by side to the med bay. The low, steady beep of the monitor, the quiet chatter of her brothers and sister, the soft pitter-patter of rain. Livs breath caught in her throat. It was all to much. She'd seen her family hurt to many times. But Zane definitely takes the cake in the near death count. She's going to have a talk with him when he wakes up. And you better believe that _talk_ with include some… _Words._

Harumi was down right dreading going to see the robot. She sent Mr. E to take care of phase one of her plan. But she felt… Guilty. Harumi didn't want to see the extent of damage that was done to the android. But she forced herself to, she walked through those doors and saw him. Lying on a table with cords plugged into his head. She looked to the monitor above him. It was slow, but steady. She looked to the larger screen above him, it showed a full body scan of the nindroid, along with multiple system failure signs. Harumi looked around the room at the ninjas. Their faces were hallowed and sad. The guilt twisted deeper.

Why was she feeling this way? Harumi allowed herself to feel this way towards Liv, because she wasn't at fault like the ninja were. But why was she feeling guilt over the robot? He was too close to her plan. So she stopped him. It was a necessity. But seeing the bot, still on a table, those bright blue eyes squeezed shut, the multiple dents and scrapes… She looked away.

"How is he?" Nya asked, voice hoarse. The others looked to the large screen above their brother. Awaiting an answer from pixal.

Pixal was silent for a beat. Scanning over Zane. "He has extensive damage to all his core functions. I can fix somethings, but Zane will need to do most of the work himself. He must reboot himself."

The others nodded absently.

"How long will it take?" The water ninja asked. She seemed to be the most eager out of all of them to get answers.

Pixal was silent, probably scanning the bot again. "I do not know. The storm is jamming my signal. If we descended to a lower altitude, it may help." She answered in her monotone voice.

Red flags waved in Haruis mind. If they went under the storm, pixal would have a better signal… The ninja were trying to trace her call to Ultra violet early… If they went down, Harumi would be discovered, and phase two of her plan wouldn't work! No! She's planned this. It was going to happen, according to her plan.

"But the storm is protecting us from the sons of garmadon. If we go under the storm, won't the spot us?" She said, hopefully the ninja would by it.

The elementals looked to each other, Lloyd pandered the suggestion. "Rumi's right. The storm is protecting us, we'll just have to wait it out. Until then, Pixal, set a course. Anywhere but here..."

Respecting their leader, the others agreed and went to dinner.

Harumi hung back. A smirk inching its way onto her face. Phase two is almost complete.

* * *

Liv went to join her family for dinner. Figured she'd spent enough time away from them. Talking with the princess was… Unexpected. Liv didn't know how fast she could befriend the person who almost exposed her secret. But talking with Rumi was fun. She had so many stories to tell, and was just so easy to talk to. Harumi reminded her of Jay. He was always so easy to talk to.

Zane's cooking, and overall absence stuck out like a sore thumb. But they managed to keep Cole out of the kitchen. Kai's cooking was good, but not nearly as good as Zane's. The six ninja and one princess sat at the rectangular table eating their spaghetti in silence. Well, almost silence. But they were all trying to ignore the sounds of Jay viciously (Attempting). To stab his meatball. Kai eyed him wearily. The fire ninja felt bad for the poor meatball. It would soon die a painful death at the hands of Jay's fork. His own hand having experienced the same fate.

Nya looked up from her plate of food as she heard the faint sound slipping. Her eyes locked on Cole. He was holding the small baby that he found in his escape from the SoG. He was tipping a cup slowing into the baby's mouth, who giggled in reply. The water ninja was amazed. Cole had actually managed to feed him something?

"What her you feeding him?" Nya asked, leaning over the table.

Cole looked up, eyes gleaming with triumph. "Tea!" He exclaimed proudly.

The rest of the table looked up from their own plates. Trying to figure out if Cole was telling the truth or not. Surely he wasn't feeding _a baby _steaming hot tea.

"Tea?" Nya exclaimed, incredulous. "You can't feed a baby tea!"

Cole's triumphant look didn't waver. "Why not? He won't drink anything else." He said, tipping the cup further.

Nya rolled her eyes, having accepted defeat. Still, what kind of baby drinks tea? Liv chuckled a bit. Harumi stifled her own. The ninjas were trying to sulk. Who was she to interrupt them with her giggles? But as the princess watch Liv snicker, she began to snicker. But the others were still quiet, so either they didn't notice or didn't care.

Harumi met eyes with the blond girl from across the table. She has a stupid grin on her face as she sipped her water. The two stared at each other for a beat. Livs eyes started to water, and there went any control the two had over their laughter.

Harumi burst into giggles, the others stared at her, concern written into their expressions. Liv however, was drinking water when Harumi started to laugh, in an attempt to keep her own laughter suppressed. She failed. The water sprayed from her nose as she too burst into laughter. Harumi went from uncontrollable giggles to straight up hysterical laughter. The other occupants of the table looked even more concerned. Which caused the two blond girls to laugh harder.

After a long five minutes of laughing, and crying in Livs case, the table was cleaned of water and Livs eyes were a bit less blood-shot.

The table sat in silence, real silence this time. There was no slurping of tea, no stabbing of forks, not even the rumble of thunder. Liv and Harumi were still smiling like crazy at each other. But no one could bring themselves to care. Liv and Harumi were getting along. And it was good to see their youngest sister smiling so much.

But, like everything in life, everything was great until it wasn't.

A loud whistling sound filled the quiet air of the bounty, followed by a vicious shake. The occupants of the bounty were thrown from their seats and onto the floor, cries of alarm filled the dining room. Shaken, Harumi stumbled to her feet. Lloyd by her side, helping her up and leading her back to the med bay after the others. Phase two is a go.

"Pixal! What's happening!" Nya demanded.

It took the computer a moment to respond. The ninjas and princess waited anxiously.

Finally pixal spoke, "S-something Has F-found its way into M-my system. I - I am losing C-control of S-ship." She stuttered.

Liv's attention was drawn to Zane. His once closed left chest panel as open and sparking. Her eyes widened. "Zane! Something was planted on Zane! They wanted us to take him in!" She exclaimed, gesturing wildly at the unconscious nindroid.

"Proximity alert! Proximity alert! Something is approaching the bounty, fast." Pixal said, her monotone voice was drowned in panic.

"On screen." Ordered Kai.

The screen switched from Zanes scans to a large dark blue armour. "It is samurai X." Pixal informed, sounding grim.

Jay let out a relieved sigh. "Phew, he must be here to help!" He breathed.

Pixal continued to glitch. "I - That Is highly un - unlikely."

The ninjas looked around, confused. Another blast racked the ship. The occupants stumbled, Harumi shriked, falling satisfactory into Lloyd. His cheeks flushed and he quickly righted the princess so she was standing upright.

"You okay?" He asked.

Harumi nodded in response.

"Your not making any sense, Pixal!" Kai cried, slamming his fist down on the table. "What's going on!"

The others quieted, waiting for the android to answer. "Now might be a good time for a - a miner confesion…" Pixal said.

The ninja and princess waited anxiously for Pixal's confession.

"I... Am... Samurai X." She said, voice dipping lower as the picture zoomed in on the Samurai X mech. The computer zoomed in to reveal Pixal under the mask of the Samurai.

The med bay was silent for a beat before the ninjas gave their two cents.

"What?"

"How can_ you_ be Samurai X?!"

"This doesn't make any sense!"

"Totally called it!"

"What? No!"

The med bay dissolved into bickering before Pixal spoke again. Telling the ninjas that they needed to stop her mech before it destroyed the destiny's bounty. Grabbing their weapons, the ninjas raced to the deck. Cole joining soon after he placed the child in his crib. And Nya staying back to keep an eye on Zane and find the virus that was planted on zane. Rain was pouring heavily when they came out. Making Harumi's bun droop. Kai didn't look all that eager to be out in the rain, either.

"Can't see a thing in this storm! Kai, can you give us some light?" Lloyd said, looking to his fiery brother in red.

Kai nodded, spinning as he summoned a large ball of fire, then shot it into the sky with a grunt. The others stared intently into the storm as the ball of fire shown above them. Soon it fell below the clouds and they were plunged back into darkness. Harumi shivred in the cold rain. Lloyd looked back to the princess and handed her a spare sword. Harumi stared blankly at it before the realization dawned.

"Bu - But I don't know how to fight!" Harumi lied, she'd taken fighting lessons from one of her guards. But of course, the ninjas couldn't know that, yet.

Lloyd looked between Harumi and the sword. "But you wanna _live_ right?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Harumi stared at the sword some more before she finally accepted it, she held the sword unsteadily, but it would have to do for now.

"Did you call me?" Liv asked, not even turning around to Lloyd. Her eyes were focused on the darkness around them.

Lloyd laughed breathlessly. "No, sorry." He said. Funny.

Liv just nodded, turning her attention back to the storm. She saw a sliver of dark blue against the grey of the clouds. That had to be Samurai X!

"There!" She pointed. "Blast it!" She yelled.

Lloyd summoned his green energy and blasted into the storm. The orb hit nothing but air. He yelled in frustration. The Samurai X mech swooped in from above and blasted the sails of the bounty, causing its occupants to stumble. Harumi almost fell over the edge before Liv grabbed her hood, pulling the princess behind her.

"Thanks." Harumi breathed. That wasn't part of the act. She would have to be more careful. Liv just smiled. She wasn't going to let the princess fall off the ship today.

"Jay! That lighting getting too close for comfort." Liv commented. Jay nodded, using us elemental power to block the lighting from her ship.

* * *

While her brothers and sister were on the deck fighting, Nya was still in the med bay. Trying to locate the virus that Pixal said was in her system. She picked up an empty noodle box from the floor. Nothing. Nya sighed in irritation. This was going nowhere. Maybe the virus was in Pixal's system and it entered when they plugged up Zane? But that would explain his open chest plate. She sighed.

Taptaptaptap.

Taptaptaptap.

Nya swung around. This is creepy… She walked towards a panel of stray wires on the wall. Nya stared at the mess of wires intently. Still nothing. She shook her head, it was probably _nothing_.

Taptaptaptap.

She heard it again. The sound of static filled the quiet room. Nya turned back around to see one of Zane's monitors. Pitch black. Nya drew away. She wouldn't succumb to fear. But that was getting harder by the minute. She looked around warily, walking closer to the monitor that shut off. Maybe it was a power failure? Maybe it's the storm? Nya tapped the monitor. It stayed pitch black. She stepped away from the monitor, terrified. She slowly turned away, only to see a robotic spider looking thing perched on her broken brothers foot. Multiple bright purple eyes locked on her. Nyas eyes widened in fear. The virus!

The robot spider lept from Zanes foot and towards Nya. She shirked.

* * *

Lloyd continued to fire orb after orb at the mech. But it dodged every one. He fired again, but this time, the orb of green energy hit the Samurai X mech in the shoulder. The pilot groaned. Turning back towards the grinning occupants of the bounty. The mech flew above the group, then land with a thud on the ships deck, pulling out a large golden katana.

The ninjas stared at the sword in horror. Liv looked to the thruster behind them, determined. "Don't let her get the thruster!" She yelled. The others nodded.

Jay charged the mech, Samurai X looked down briefly at the ninja, she swatted him away with ease. He crashed to the ground with a cry, unmoving. And that was all the ninja needed to attack. You mess with the a bee, you get the hive.

Cole and Kai lung for the bot, the Samurai swooped up Cole and knocked Kai away with the hilt of her sword. He toppled over the edge but managed to grab a rope just in time, glaring at the mech. The robot held Cole up to her face, she snarled before chucking him to.

"Hey! Leave them alone!" Liv screamed, blasting the mech with her dark energy.

Lloyd charged in after his twin. She smirked at him. The two sprang into attack, the blonds battled in perfect sync with each other. Liv went up, Lloyd went down. Lloyd went up, Liv went down. The Samurai swung her sword wildly, desperate to hit one of the two ninjas. But she never could. The two blocked and attacked in perfect harmony. The robot was growing tired of her inability to hit the twins. But she caught out of the corner of her eye, the princess was waving her over. The plan must be carried out.

Seeing their opponent was distracted. Liv motioned for Lloyd to thrown another green orb at the android. He nodded, and together, the two twins threw their orbs of dark and green energy at the Samurai. The mech was blown back on impact. Grunting in frustration, the mech quickly forced itself back up just as Liv ran up her blade and began to whack viciously the Samurai. Outraged, the mech brought it's fist down on the girl.

Liv cried in pain as the cold metal hand collided with her shoulder, then the hard impact of the wet wooden floor. Her own sword flying from her grasp in the process. She looked up at the mech as it raised it's golden sword above her. Livs eyes went wide, nonono! She closed her eyes as the sword came down.

_Clank!_

But the impact never came. Liv opened her eyes to see Harumi. Hunched over her with a sword. Liv smiled at her, Harumi smiled back. Liv opened her mouth to say thanks, but the mech grabbed her.

Harumi gasped. "Liv!" She yelled, thrashing at the mech with her sword. Liv stared in horror as the mech leaped off the side of the ship with Harumi.

"Harumi!"

Lloyd was at her side in seconds. Bombarding her with questions, asking if she was hurt. Liv pushed away from her brother. That mech just took her _friend! _No, Lloyd! She's not okay! Liv shoved past him, he yelped in surprise.

"Liv? What are you doing!?" He yelled, She ignored him. Rushing to her katanna, yanking it from the floor broads and running to the side of the ship.

Cole, Kai, and Jay had finally gotten up, they stared at her blankly. But she paid them no mind, she stepped onto the ledge, and jumped.

The others stared at her in shock. Was she crazy! "She did NOT just!-" Lloyd started.

"-She just did!" Kai interrupted, Leaning over the rails to try and spot their sister in the storm.

Liv landed on the mech and immediately clung for dear life as it swept through the clouds. She looked at Harumi, still clutched tightly in the samurai's hands. She nodded to the princess. Who smiled in return. Liv continued her climb to the cockpit where Pixal was. "Pixal! You _have_ to stop this!" She pleaded.

"There is no Pixal, only the Quiet one." Replied the Samurai. Voice several pitches lower than pixal.

Liv frowned, then began slashing at the suit. "Sorry. About. This!" She said in between her attacks. "But your… Not exactly… In the right… Frame of… Mind!" She exclaimed, stabbing her katanna right into the center of the mech.

Sparks shot up from the mech, and the hand holding Harumi losend a bit. Causing the princess to shriek. Liv looked to Harumi in alarm. Thinking that she had fallen. But to her relief, her friend was still there, tucked away in the mechs grasp.

The Samurai looked at the buttons on her dash, unfazed by her sputtering mech She pressed a button on the keypad, and before the two girls knew it, the Samurai was rocketing through the sky back up towards the bounty. Liv stared blankly at the spot where the fake Samurai used to be, dumbfounded.

"I did _not_ think this through…" She said, just as the mech suddenly began its descent towards the jungle below, two teens screaming the whole way.

The Samurai flipped back onto the ship. Landing smoothly and pulling out a smaller version of her golden katanna, swinging it in perfect arks.

Cole, Jay, Kai, and Lloyd glared at the android.

"Argh! Your _suppose _to be our _friend_!" Jay exclaimed. And together, the four elementals charged the Samurai.

The two girls continued to scream as the fell. Liv crawling slowly towards the trapped princess.

"We're - We're gonna-!" Harumi began, but she shut up after a fierce glare was shot her way.

Liv was staring at her, a determined fire lit in her eyes. She shrunk back into her hoodie.

"Look at me! We're gonna get outta this! You hear me? I didn't jump off the bounty just to still die!" Liv said, pushing open one of the fingers holding her friend. Harumi began to slip, but Liv grabbed her. Yanking her up.

Harumi reached into her hoodie, pulling out a soft blanket. "The map! Maybe we could use it to parachute down?" It was a long shot, but at least they wouldn't die. Maybe she should've thought this part of her plan through.

Liv looked at her, incredulous. "What is this, a cartoon? There's no way that's going to work!"

Harumi frowned. They _were_ gonna die.

Liv's expression hardened. All the fear and uncertainty was gone as she picked up harumi by the waist and plopped her down in the meches abandon poliet seat. Harumi stared blankly at the blond as she closed the cockpit, looking down sadly at her friend.

'"Here, the suit should break your fall." Liv said.

Finally understanding what was going on, harumi thrashed in the seat. "Wha - What? No! What about you?"

"Sorry, there's only room for one." She answered, Liv replied, looking grim.

Nononono! Liv can't do this! She needs her for the plan! Harumi struggled harder against the suit. But her efforts were fruitless, she was stuck. "No! I need you!" She cried, tears welling in the corners of harumi's eyes.

"And _I _needed that map…"

All of Harumi's retorts died in her throat. What? And with that, Liv grabbed the map from her hand, and let herself fall from the mech. Harumi shrieked. Liv was falling. She was terrified. She had left her friend on that mech, why did she do that? But there was no time to worry about that. Harumi would be okay. The suit will keep her okay. Liv unfolded the map and took hold of it's corners. Her descend stopped abruptly, her stomach lurched, but she wasn't falling. Instead, Liv was slowly hovering towards the ground. Haha, guess it does work like the cartoons.

Harumi couldn't believe it.

Well, she could. These are the ninjas that she's talking about. So for them to go and be heroic and all that… Was expected. But she had only been joking when she suggested they use the map as a parachute…

Harumi craned her neck over the bulky suit. She could see treetops… Harumi could only hope that Liv was right about the mech...

* * *

Nya held the robotic spider at arm's length, its claws dug into the fabric of her gi. "Get OFF! GET OFF ME! GET OFF!" She cried, but the spider only pushed harder. Nya closed her eyes, she wasn't about to let the stupid droid claw them out.

The force from the spider suddenly vanished. Nya stared at her now empty hands. She then looked to the wall where the robot was squished in between the wooden walls and a sword.

"What in the name of _ninjago_ is happening on around here?" Zane asked, lowering his arm and looking to Nya.

She sighed in relief. "Pixal, you - kinda missed a lot." She breathed, walking over to her nindroid brother.

"Foreign agent has been purged from my system, commencing reboot in thirty seconds." Pixal informed. A power symbol lit up in the corner of the screen as Nya went to remove the plugs from Zane.

* * *

Kai grunted as he struggled to free his katanna from the corrupted Samurai. But she only swiped the swords down, Kai glared in irritation. How could they fight a Samurai? What happened to Liv?

Cole lept in front of the fire ninja, swinging his hammer down onto the deck. The force causing the robot to stumble, Cole smiled in triumphed, giving Lloyd room to throw Jay into the samurai, who kicked the robot the floor. The four ninjas smiled at each other, weapons at the ready, they closed in slowly on their target.

The samurai looked passed the ninja and towards her own, unguarded target. She sat up, grabbing her sword.

"Drop. Your. Sword!" The green ninja ordered, stepping closer.

The android only smiled behind her mask. "I. Shall._ Comply."_ And with that, the Samurai threw her sword over the heads of the fire, lightning, earth, and green energy elementals.

* * *

"Reboot complete. Systems online…"

* * *

The mask of the Samurai opened, revealing a pair of bright green eyes.

The world seemed to slow.

Nya and a newly repaired Zane came sprinting out from the cabin. Watching in horror as the glistening sword flew into their last thruster. It exploded. The bounty shook, it went down hard and fast. Spiraling downward in a frenzy.

"Aruh, She got the last thruster." Jay sighed, clinging to the anchor.

"Any ideas?" Kai asked, bracing himself against a rope and the side of the ship. He looked to his team expectantly.

"Not a one."

"Yeah, me neither." Kai replied sadly.

"Pray to Wohira!" Jay exclaimed.

"That is _not helpful!"_ Nya shouted, regretting that she told him that story.

"Perhaps if we can create enough drag with the sails, we may be able to achieve a controlled crash!" Zane suggested.

His family stared at him blankly. "What sails?" Kai responded, gesturing to the bounty's torn sails. Zane followed his gaze, then looked back to his team. Eyes wide in fear.

The ninjas and Samurai we quiet. How were they going to get out of this? The looked to each other, hoping against hope that one of them came up with an idea. The rain poured above them. Drenching their gis and sticking to their eye lashes. Lloyd's face lit up, he had an idea! "The rain!" He exclaimed. "It could slow our fall!"

Everyone turned to Nya. She looked down, thinking. "It's worth a try…" She said, pushing herself up from the beam she'd wrapped herself around and running towards the front of the ship. She climbed up atop one of the wooden dragon heads, mindful not to slip. Raising her hands as she struggled to control the downpour of rain.

She stopped. Turning back to see her brothers and youngest brother. They looked back at her. Fear, hope, acceptance. All written in their faces. She looked to her brother, her blood brother. Kai looked back at her, eyes wide. But she saw a spark. A spark of confidence. He believed in her. She wouldn't fail them.

She smiled, turning back to the storm ahead of her. Closing her eyes, Nya listened. She listened to every drop of rain on the wood, every breath of her family. Every beat of their heart. She heard the wind, howling in her ear. She focused.

Nya swooped down, then, in one graceful movement, brought her hands up over her head. It listened.

The water bent under her will. Nya smiled to herself as she guided it under the bounty. The ships descent slowed, the ninja smiled, ecstatic. Kai new his sister could do it. She always did.

"Ha! Its working!" Jay exclaimed, laughing.

The strain was building up, Nya swayed in the wind as she struggled to keep the rain under them. She couldn't hold out much longer. But she could see the begins of treetops, they were so close, just a bit more.

"Brace for impact!" Kai warned, closing his eyes and adjusting his hold on the rope and Lloyd.

Jay leaned closer to the anchor, hoping that it would shield him for the crash. Nya struggled again, grunting in concentration, swet was gathering on the tops of her brown, mixing with the fresh water spilling from the sky. Lloyd was practically clinging to Kai, who held his baby brother tight. The child let out a cry from his crib, Cole's head shot up, he dashed from the safety of the anchor, stumbling into the room where the baby was crying. He swooped up the crying child, holding him tightly against his chest. He would protect this baby. Zane grabbed onto the bottom stair tightly, closing his eyes and hoping.

Nya's arms finally gave out, the rain holding them up bend back to its natural flow.

The ship hit, and it hit hard. The ninjas screamed, holding on to what every was nearest.

* * *

Coughing, Jay stood from the rumble, walking slowly over to Nya. "Everyone onkay?" He asked, looking around to his brothers.

A grumble of incoherent grunts and coughs were his response. He assumed that was the best he was gonna get.

Cole walked out from the cabin, looking unfazed by the crash. Cradling the baby in his arms. "You okay to, little buddy?" He asked. The child smiled at him.

Zane stood, dusting himself off. He had just been repaired, and he could already see dents and more broken wires. He would have to ask Jay if he could assisted him in-

"Zane."

The nindroid stopped. That couldn't be… He turned slowly, then his face lit up. It could be!

There in front of him, stood Pixal. She took off her mask and shook out her beautiful, silver hair. Her stunning green eyes locking on his own icy blue.

"All this time, it was you. Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

Pixal looked away, sheepish."I had to keep my identity a secret. To protect those I cared about." She explained.

He stepped close. "You don't have to lie to me." Zane laughed. "You didn't like being stuck in my head. Did you?" He said, smiling at the android as she blushed.

"There was that too." She sighed, looking up to to her boyfriend.

"From now on, no more secrets."

Pixal smiled. She could agree to that. Zane stepped closer, hugging Pixal tightly. He had missed her. She hugged him back. Mind made up. She never wanted to go back to that computer again.

Kai did a head count. Phew, everyone's here except..."Where's Liv and Harumi?" He asked.

The other occupants on the ship groaned. "One problem at a time, Kai. We'll deal with Liv jumping off ships later." Lloyd breathed.

* * *

Abandoning the Samurai X mech, Harumi looked around for the map of masks. She spotted it near a cluster of stray branches. She picked it up and walked back to where her friend was waiting. Clutching her right arm to her chest. Harumi gingerly wrapped the map around the elementals injured arm, tying it off around her neck.

"And… There you have it! A sling from a map. How does it feel?" Harumi asked the green ninjas twin.

Liv moved her arm in the sling around slowly. "Feels good. Thanks, Harumi." She said, smiling at her friend.

Harumi nodded. Liv had came crashing down from the trees after the map snagged on one of the branches. It was the least she could do to help her friend. Liv was right about the mech, though. Harumi only wished that the map had worked better.

Liv turned her attention away from the princess and towards the mass green jungle surrounding the two girls. "I think… We're on our own…"

The two girls looked at each other, the elementals eyes were filled with worry and uncertainty. But Harumi, she knew _exactly _what needed to be done...

* * *

**WOO HOO! Chappie 10 for y'all! Hoped you liked!**

**Next time: The race begins. Will Harumi be able to push pasted her feeling and follow through with the plan? Is she willing to burn the bridges of friendship she has with Liv? Or will she take her own advice, and let go of her hot rock…**

_**~GreenGirl**_


	11. What's worn, and what isn't

**It takes two**

**Chapter 11**

**What's worn, and what isn't**

**I know, I know, it's a bit late.**

**Review replies:**

**MarySue9084: You are so right. When I first started my story I was, well, a bit rusty is an understatement lol. I think you're totally right, and I am definitely going to re-write the first few chapters. I'm glad to hear that you think my writing has improved. Your so kind and I really appreciate your review! :D Like you told me, feel free to always speak your mind, I love constructive criticism.**

**Quick side note, this chapter marks the end of all of my pre-typed chapters. I will no longer have a set update time, but, If I pick up and abandon this story for like, a month without giving you guys a heads up… I give you all full permission to come into my inbox and yell at me lol :) **

**Disclaimerrrr: I don't own ninjago, okay? I just own Liv.**

* * *

The earth shook in its wake, trees crumbled to the ground. The two blonds kept running. Harumi craned her head to see the beast chasing them, but only saw it's scaly tail.

"Don't look back! Keep running!" Liv ordered, sword in hand.

Harumi nodded, turning her head back around. The monster was gaining on them. They kept running, her legs felt like jello and her lungs were on fire. But it's better than being eaten, so she keeps running. But there's nothing to run on anymore. The two girls screamed as they fell through the air. Finally they came to a hard collision within a small crevasse.

"Shhh…" Liv hushed, holding a finger to her lips. Harumi, not wanting to get eaten, quickly quieted down as the snout of the dinosaur thing peered into their hiding spot.

After a few agonizingly slow seconds where the two blonds thought they were going to die, the beast finally huffed, stopping away. The girls sighed in relief. "Hold on." Liv said, pushing herself up from their crack and peaking over into the lush green forest. She motioned that the coast was clear and harumi climbed up.

"Are you okay?" Harumi asked, walking over to Liv.

The elemental was leaning on the sword as she tried to adjust her jostled arm. "Yeah - just… Need a second." She said, taking her hand off the sword and trying to move her right arm. She winced, but kept trying to move her arm.

"Oh, stop. Lemme see." Harumi breathed, she wasn't going to sit here and watch her friend suffer. She would be doing that later. Harumi pulled on the tied map corners till the make-shift-sling was back into place. Liv smiled.

"Thanks, Harumi." She said, looking back to the princess who was frowning it into the forest.

"Are you sure we're heading the right way?" Harumi prodded, It's time to get back into character. She'd let her mask down too much. Let her goal slip away. Blended the borders between her plan and her heart. Was her heart still in this plan, right?

Liv looked around warily, then looked down to her map/sling. "Uhh, pretty sure. If this map is right, there's a river that runs through primevals eye that way." She said, pulling the sword from the ground and pointing. "And the river leads straight to the hidden Oni temple."

Harumi sighed. Of course her heart was still in this. It's what she wants. What she's dreamed of. What she's planned for. What she's_ killed_ for. Harumi can't abandon it now. "Umm. I don't know, Liv. Maybe it would be smarter if we turned back and tried to find the others." This would've been easier if she was with Lloyd. Harumi thought bitterly. She knew that the boy had feelings for her. (And Harumi would go as far as to say she… Might feel for him too). But he released the serpentine. He's at fault, and must pay for the crimes he commited! But Liv it's at fault like the ninja! She isn't. She's a friend.

"Your arm's still pretty bad…" Harumi continued. Gesturing towards her friend's arm.

Liv shifted. "I - I'm doing okay. And, anyway, we can't take the chance. If the sons of garmadon get the mask first... " She sighed.

Harumi frowned, but nodded nonetheless. "Fine, but let me take a turn, okay?" She said, reaching for the sword. Liv let her have it, and Harumi began to take out all her frustration and indecision on the lot of unlucky vines that stood in hers and Liv's path.

* * *

In the wreckage of the destiny's bounty, Zane scranned the forest before him. Searching for his youngest sister and the jade princess.

"Any sign of Liv and Harumi." Pixal asked, materializing next to the nindroid. Zane sighed.

"Negative. Should I gather a search party?" He asked, Zane had just been repaired, only to wake up to a ship about to crash, his younger sister jumping off said ship, and his android girlfriend being alive? It just didn't compute!

"In this jungle? It's better to stay with the bounty. Lets get her mended, and the computer up and running so we can re-establish our com-links." Pixal suggested. Zane nodded. Leave it to Pixal to come up with a logical solution. The two androids walked back towards the destroyed cabin.

Cole whilested to the tune of _glow little glow worm_, to the poor baby that had been kidnapped by the SoG. "What do you think this baby's name is?" He asked no one in particular. "You think he looks like a - a Cole jr?" He said, striding over to his brother. His brothers, who are working hard to repair their ship.

Jay hopped out from the thrust, golden katan in hand. He tossed it to the ground, glaring at Cole. "I think_ you_ should put the baby down and help us out!" Jay said, waving the tools he held wildly. "Okay Zane, give it another try." He called.

The ninja, and samurai, were busy trying to fix the coms so they could try and communicate with their sister. But so far, all they've gotten is static and a whole bunch of smoke.

"Oh, great! Now the radios aren't working!" Jay cried, lowering his head in defeat. A roar from somewhere in the forest sent chills down the ninjas spines. They stared out into the vast vines and trees, wearily.

"What do you think?" Lloyd asked, inching closer to Kai. His brothers jumped at his voice. Lloyd had been oddly quiet since Liv jumped. They had almost forgotten he was still on board.

"Heheh, probably just some… Cute little critter?" Kai said, placing a hand on Lloyds shoulder.

Jay scoffed. Really? '_Or_, a big critter. A big vicious critter, with lots of teeth and claws and pinchers!"

Cole shook his head at his lighting brother. Adjusting the small straps on the basket that he had put Cole jr. in. "You can't tell all that by the way it sounds, Jay." He said, rolling his eyes.

Jay looked at Cole, offended. "Oh, yeah? If you listen very carefully…"

A loud beep pierced the air, causing the four ninja to jump.

"Did you guys say something?" Zane asked. At least the radio wasn't broken. Kai laughed at Jay, who's hand was to his chest and mumbling about Zane and heart attacks and cursed, evil jungles.

Kai raised a hand to touch the com-link in his ear. "Any luck reaching Liv?" Kai asked, he felt Lloyd shift next to him. He looked at his youngest brother. "I'm sure she's fine, Lloyd. We just gotta find her." Kai reassured, not knowing if he was doing so for himself, or for his brother. Maybe both of them needed some reassurance regarding their sister.

Zane was typing away on the newly fixed computer. "Pixal and I have only been able to repair the shortwave com-link. It appears we won't be able to find them until we get the bounty over these trees." He informed his four brothers on the deck. The nindroid could hear multiple groans on the other end of the com, but he ignored it. He wanted to find his sister too, but Pixal was right, she always is, it would be logical to stay with the bounty in this jungle.

"Ready to test the thruster?" Zane asked, reaching for the burgundy lever on the dashboard. The blue eyed android looked to his emerald green companion. She nodded in affirmation.

A few, corny elemental pun from Kai, and other encouraging words from Cole and Jay, Zane pulled the lever to attempt to start the thruster. But apparently, the thrusher didn't like Kais puns either. Poor Kai and Lloyd, who were sitting on the top over the thruster when it went haywire.

"ABORT! ABORT!" Jay screamed, the lower deck was enveloped in fog.

"Shut it down! Shut it down!" Kai demanded.

Zane scrambled around Pixal, he quickly turned off the thruster. He raced to the deck to check on his brothers.

"Ugh, that's it! I've had it!" Jay exclaimed, his blue gi was covered in soot. And his curly hair stood on end. The others looked to have gotten the better end of the stick. The front of Cole's Gi, arms, and face had spots of soot, but hardly noticeable on his black Gi, in contrast to Jay, Kai, and Lloyds, bright colored Gis. Kai finally released the death grip he had on Lloyds writs. Certain that his baby brother wasn't going to fall a grew sum five feet death from atop the thruster. Lloyd and Kai slid down from atop the thruster, stumbling a bit.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha." Zane held a hand to his mouth in an attempt to stifle his laughter. Jay glared daggers at the android.

"First, we crash land in who knows where, surrounded by who knows what and now_ this!" _Jay ranted, waving his hands wildly and hopping around.

Cole grinned at his friend. "Well, at least Cole Jr,'s fine." He said, turning around to show a very happy looking Cole jr. "So now, we can give the _diapers_ to Jay."

Jay stopped ranting and gave the earth ninja a murderous glare. "Hi-Hi-Hilarious." He deadpanned, placing his hands on his hips and glowering. An engine roar split the air and the ninjas jumped in surprise.

"What was that?" Lloyd asked, unconsciously slipping behind Kai. Nya laned not long after, a smug look on her face as she smiled at her brothers from inside the samurai X mech.

"Look what I found." She stated, making the mechanical hands place themselves on its metal hips.

Pixal came out from behind her boyfriend, eyes shining happily. "My suit - er, I mean, _your _suit..." She said, but quickly shut down, the samurai X suit was Nyas, and Pixal still feels guilty for taking it. So if Nya wanted to keep the relic of her past, then Pixal wouldn't stop her. She was built to follow out orders and assist others, right. And besides, the ninja would probably just send her back into the computer, and Pixal wouldn't stop them either, she just hoped that didn't happen. She wanted more time with ane.

But to Pixals astonishment, Nya just smiled warmly at her, "No worries, Pixal." Nya said, giving the android a wink then jumping down from the suit. "It's yours now." Pixal smiled in return, she had really accepted Nya too just keep the suit. Even though the battle the two had in the samurai X cave back with the time twins proved that Nya had somewhat except Pixal being the new samurai X, but she's not complaining, she likes feeling useful, outside the computer.

"There was also a note on the suit." The water ninja said, pulling out a bright green leaf with messy black writing on it. "Its from Liv, her and Harumi are going to the last temple." She said, putting the leaf back in her pocket.

Lloyd let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. He was glad to hear that his sister was okay, he just wished that she didn't jump without him. Now she's stuck out there, and on her way to some evil temple place. What if the sons of garmadon get to them first. What if the sons of garmadon get the mask? What if his father is - is... Coles voice broke the blond out of his spiral.

"Then they're okay." He said, releaf filled his voice. Kai looked back up to Cole, then flipped his welding mask back on.

"But, we're still grounded. Let's get back to fixing the bounty so we can go help them. Before the Sons of garmadon pick up our trail..." He said, the other looked around warily before snapping back to work. But that didn't stop all the what if's that raced through Lloyd's head.

Little did they know that they were already on to the fallen ninja. Dozens of SoG crowded the ledge where the smoke of the bounty could be seen. Ultra violet smirked, pulling up her purple bandanna. She cried out, revenging her bike engine, leading her troop towards the fallen ship.

* * *

Harumi hacked away at more vines. Liv smiled. Her friend was good with a sword where it counted. She followed Harumi next to Harumi. "Stuck in that palace your whole life, did you ever expect to be in a place like this." Liv asked, waving her good arm around the lush jungle. Harumi took a second to answer, slicing at a few stubborn vines.

"What? Hacking my way through Primeval's eye? No, not really." Harumi repiled, she turned back to the elemental "But to be honest, I figured something like this would happen when I met you cray ninja." She said, Liv laughed. Harumi smiled. Liv's laugh was so bright, so light hearted. She likes hanging out with Liv. It gave her time to let some walls down and just be Harumi Chang. She is quite happy that it wasn't Lloyd who jumped to save her, Harumi doesnt think she'd be able to play along with his flattering comments. But, it being that Liv jumped to help her, and that Harumi has gotten to know the girl, and would even go as far as to say befriended the twin, she still doesn't want to fight against her. Not even for her plan. Maybe she can get Liv away from her while she steals the mask? It's located in a cave, rightr? So perhaps she can cause a cave in? Maye?

Harumi turned away from Liv and kept striking down the vines. Her face contorting into stone as she was absorbed in thought.

"So, according to the map, we're almost to the Black River."

Harumi focused back to Liv's voice. Shaking her head and swinging the sword.

"We just have to get past this part called... 'Stranglers path.'" Liv finished, scratching her head.

Harumi stopped dead. "Stranglers path? Well, that's cheery." She deadpanned, looking around warily. Liv laughed, though it wasn't as light hearted as her real one.

"Hey, don't worry. Places like these always have... Weird names. More times than not, they don't really mean anything." Liv said, reassuringly. Listing off a couple of other places that Harumi vaguely remembers that also have weird names. But she wasn't really paying attention, she was more focused on watching the vines at their feet. She could have sworn that vine right there moved, just the slightest. Harumi found herself full on ignoring Liv. She was too busy thinking about what happened to all the other men she'd sent here before to look for the mask of hatred.

"... Probably just a bored mapmaker with a wild -" Liv sentence was dissolved into shrikes as she was grabbed from behind and yanked away. Harumi turned back In shock as her friend was whisked away into the jungle.

"HEY!" She shouted, taking off after Liv.

The elemental was being roughly dragged through the lush jungle, her map-sling being ripped off in the process. She winced as her right arm was jostled more. Liv strained her head to see where she was being dragged to. She could hear Harumi's faint panting. Liv finally got her head up and saw a large tree with a small gap at the bottom of the trunk. She groaned.

"Oh, for FSMs sake, you've got to be kidding me." She said, exasperated. Liv turned on her side, tearing up large patches of the jungle floor as she struggled to put some resistance between her and the tree base. Her efforts were still fruitless. The vines were like the stranglers weed back in Stixs. And Liv wondered if these vines were a land version of such.

Liv steeled herself. Waiting to find out what was behind the trees trunk. Whether it be some... Weird stomach acid, or some deep whole that led to another realm like in Alice and wonderland. But what she wasn't expecting; was a piercing shriek, and the grip on her waist to drop completely. Liv looked in front of her to see her friend, several feet away, looking like she'd thrown something. Liv looked behind her to see her katana wedged between her feet and imbedded in the vine that had grabbed her.

"I - It just - It tried to - Did you just - How did the tree?" Liv shuddered, looking between Harumi and the weird tree. Harumi chuckled, and Liv finally cleared her throat.

"How'd you do that?"

"I - I... You were going to get eaten... And... I guessed… Luck?" Harumi tried, helping Liv to her feet. The elemental looked flustered.

"Luck? You were all the way over there - And - And -" Liv quickly quieted as Harumi threw her arms around her.

It took a second, but Liv finally relaxed and hugged Harumi back. The two girls stood together. Harumi's eyes watered. She'd almost lost her - She'd almost lost - Her best friend. Harumi almost lost her best friend! When she said that she wanted a way to get rid of Liv so she wouldn't have to fight her... She hadn't meant _that!_ Harumi was having even more doubts now, and they were beginning to become more and more welcome. Harumi finally pulled away, holding Liv at arms length, looking her up and down. If she'd gone and hurt her arm even more...

"Harumi, I'm fine. Seriously." Liv said, though her own misty eyes didn't go unnoticed. Harumi just smiled. And to her surprise, it felt real.

"Somebody's gotta make sure you don't get killed. The others would have my head." Harumi said, laughing. Soon, both teens were laughing.

* * *

Zane and Pixal worked on opposite sides of the bounty's main computer. They were trying to fix the wiring in the thruster, but so far, it was to no avail.

"Trrry… Now." Said Zane from where he was bent over some wires.

Pixal moved the thruster lever, but was met with nothing. "No." She replied tightly.

"And... Now?"

Pixal tried the lever again, sighing angrily when she was once again met with no sounds from the thruster. "No." She said again, more tightly as she backed away from the computer, looking at the ground. Zane came around to face her, screwdriver in hand. She hadn't meant to snap at Zane. She was just frustrated. If she was still in the computer, she could've probably fixed the long range communication, at least. Or have been of more help. But at the same time, Pixal still doesn't want to go back into the computer. She wanted to be with Zane.

"I detect frustration from you, but that emotion is not needed for this task. Is something wrong?" Zane asked, his bright blue eyes searching. Pixal shied away.

"No." She said hastily. Zane frowned, then walked back towards the wires he was working with. Pixal immediately membered the promise that they made of no secrets. She wouldn't lie to Zane, he'd always been truthful with her. "Yes." She breathed, walking over to her boyfriend.

"May I ask you something?" Pixal said, toying with her gloved hands. Zane just smiled warmly at her.

"You have half of my heart." He said, gesturing to his power core. Pixal looked down to try and hide her blush. "You can ask me anything." Zane finished.

Pixal hesitated. Now was the moment of truth. She forced herself to accept whatever Zane decision was. She knew that he was a very smart nindroid, and would always respect his decisions.

"Was I more... Useful? Inside the computer?" She asked. Zane frowned.

"What kind of question is that?" He said, glancing at the large, broken computer. Pixal scrutinized him.

"You don't have to lie to me. I want to be a useful member of the team." Pixal confessed, walking over to the computer and placing her hands on it. She lowered her head, as if she should be ashamed. If anything. Zane should feel ashamed for not realizing that Pixals wanted more out of life than just being some assistant. He should have realized that that's not what she wanted. "But I would prefer not to return to the computer. I like... Having a body..." Pixal said, she finally looked back up to Zane, her expression resigned.

"But if you require my assistance in your headset -"

" - The choice has always been yours, Pixal '' Zane said, cutting Pixal off. How could he have been so blind. Pixal wanted to be with him, and make a difference in Ninjago just as much as himself. What kind of nindroid would take that away from her? Certainly not Zane. If Pixal didn't want to return to the computer, then she doesn't want to return to the computer. And no one's going to force her. No one's going to make her do something that she doesn't want to do.

Pixal smiled, relieved that she wouldn't be returning to the computer. "... Good." She said, Zane smiled before walking back around the computer that he was trying to fix. He tweaked a few more wires before calling back to Pixal.

"Now?"

"Still No."

The sons of Garmadon stopped in front of a large Chasm. Kilo scoffed, unclipping the second Oni mask of deception. He pressed the orange mask to his face and the eyes emitted an eerie, pale orange light. A menacing laugh filled the jungle. Kilo looked up, grey, ridge horns were sprouting from the mask. Kilo turned from his group of bikers and towards the deep chasm in front of him. He lifted his hands, the other gangsters looked around warily as a light rumbling filled the air. Finally, large boulders ascended from the trench, rising until they formed a bridge to the other side. Ultra Violet laughed maniacally. Kilo stepped back, pulling off the mask and placing it back on his belt. He stepped back onto his bike, and Ultra Violet gave the signal for the group to carry on. The Smoke of destiny's bounty peaking above the treeline.

The clatter of wrenches and hammers from the destiny's bounty could wake the dead. Jay placed a hand full of various tools into a large bin, he sighed heavily, wiping sweat from his forehead. Cole, having finally decided to put the baby down for a nap, found it in himself to help out his teammates fix their totaled ship. Picking up a screw driver, he began to tighten the screws on a panel near the bounty's steering wheel.

"I wonder if Liv and Harumi are doing okay." The earth elemental said. Kai snatched a branch from the panel that Cole was working at, adding it to his every growing stack of other twigs and leaves that decided to wedge themselves into their ship. Lloyd, who was busy with his own tasks fixing the bounty, looked up at the mention of his twin, curious

"I'm sure they're fine. They don't seem to have any trouble looking out for each other." Kai said, walking around the bride and picking up more sticks.

"Yeah, I have noticed they've gotten pretty close. Surprising since the first time they met, Harumi was trying to crack her like a walnut." Cole agreed. He looked around briefly before calling to Jay, who was still on the deck.

"Pass the wrench." Cole said, holding his hand out.

"Got the wrench?"

"Wrench coming your way." Jay replied to Cole and Kai. Tossing up the wrench. Kai grabbed it and pasted it to Cole in one smooth movement. Lloyd chuckled softly. Sometimes he really thought his friend just shared one brain.

"So, Lloyd, what do you think? About Liv and the princess?" Kai asked, looking towards his youngest brother. Lloyd didn't answer, only tightening his grip on his hammer and pounding harder on the poor nail than was probably necessary.

"... I think they're pretty good friends."

Kai scoffed. "Really? They didn't really talk to each other at all until you guys came back from Mystakes." He said, eyeing the blond.

Lloyd pounded harder on the nail.

After a bit of awkward silence, Kai finally honed in on the reason behind Lloyds odd behavior.

"Are you seriously mad at her because she went after Harumi?"

Lloyd's silence confirmed Kai's thoughts. "Lloyd." He groaned. Setting down his twigs and leaves and walking over to his brother. "You do stuff like that all the time. Now you know how me and Nya feel whenever you decide to be a self sacrificing sap." Said Kai, kneeling next to Lloyd. The blond scoffed, Kai hadn't really been... Completely wrong. But admitting why he was really upset with his twin sounded stupid, and Lloyd didn't feel like having his whole family pepper him with questions. So Lloyd just decided to let Kai have this one, he'd talk about it with his twin. Hopefully she could give him better advice in the romance section.

"Pliers." He called, holding out his hand once again.

"Got the pliers?" Kai asked Jay.

Jay scratched his neck, looking around for the tool that Cole needed. "I don't have the pliers." He said, his eyes landed on the tool that he was looking for. "Oh, thank you." Jay, having finally looked down, shook his head, staring down at the small child that was giggling in front of him. Jay stood, mouth gaping like a fish.

"Cole?" He called, wearily. "Ha, ha, I thought you put the baby down for a nap!" Jay yelled, glancing back to up the ladder where his friends were and back at the baby.

"Oh, you mean little Cole Jr.? I did. He didn't seem to wanna sleep, though." Cole shouted back to Jay.

"Uh-Huh. Yeah. Then why is little Cole Jr. standing in front of me, and passing me the pliers?" Jay yelled, rolling his eyes. Little Cole jr. was a baby just a minute ago, right? Not a walking toddler that passes ninjas pliers, right? How did he even know what pliers were?

The four ninja blanched. Looking at each other before darting down the ladder to Jay. Cole got down first, staring incredulously at the apparent toddler waddling around the deck.

"Cole jr. is walking now?" Cole said, face falling. They grow up so fast...

Lloyd looked at Cole like he was crazy. "I don't know much about_ babies, _but are _babies_ supposed to be walking?" The blond said, he was certain that Cole jr. was just that. A baby just, like, thirty minutes ago.

"No. No, they are not." Zane replied, perplexed. Cole was still muttering about how just a day ago he was putting a whiny baby to bed, and now here he's walking. Kai groaned, when'd Cole get so attached to this baby? It was getting annoying, because for any kid to go from a babbling baby to a walking toddler in the span of an hour... Isn't normal. But then again, when is anything normal when it comes to them?

"... And I don't think they know what pliers are." Kai added. Little Cole jr. was walking towards a small table. Jay scooted out of the way of the toddler/baby as he reached for the steaming cup of tea resting on the table. Cole jr. snatched the cup of tea, blew on the steam, and sipped contently. The five ninjas stared at little Cole jr. in shock.

"And they definitely can't do that." Lloyd breathed.

Jay took in a deep breath, preparing to rant. "Okay, now I've seen it all! Now I really quit!" He exclaimed, throwing up his hands.

Little Cole jr. shuffled around to face the ninja, he finished off the rest of his tea with a slurp and a satisfied sigh. "Ah, ninja never quit." He said, smiling.

The five ninjas gapped, how did the baby/toddler know that? The only person who'd told them that was sensei Wu! And he'd been sucked into a temporal vortex a year ago! Little Cole jr. just laughed, like what he'd just said was nothing of importance. But maybe it wasn't?

Jay finally laughed awkwardly. "Uh, guys, I don't think that's Cole jr... That's... Master Wu!" Jay said. It made sense, right? Sensei Wu had been lost in a temporal vortex of time. So maybe he was flung back in time?

… Maybe?

* * *

After escaping the strangler's path, left Liv and Harumi once again hacking through the jungle on their way to the last Oni mask. Liv was busy studying the map, making sure that they were on the right path. But she couldn't help but think back to after Harumi saved her from the vines.

Liv didn't know what it was, but she never thought that she would become friends with someone so quickly after that someone decided to go out of their way to try and expose her. But she did. Harumi was one of the first to ever notice her relation to Lloyd, and then a few weeks later, has Liv becoming friends with Harumi. Was Harumi even a friend? Or was she just being nice? Liv didn't want to stew on that too long, she really thinks that the princess is a friend, even if Harumi herself doesn't see them as so.

Harumi's shrike tore Liv from her mind, her head quickly shot up from the map and to Harumi, the princess was standing in front of what looked like the side of a boat.

"The Sons of Garmadon Insignia." Liv said, walking closer.

"But... What's it doing out here?" Harumi wondered, ha, Harumi knows exactly why it's out in this jungle. She's the one who organized so many trips here to find the third Oni mask. But none of them ever came back.

Liv jumped onto the boat, Harumi followed suit, handing the katan to the elemental. The boat was abandoned. The two teens walked into the cramped, musty cabin. The floor of the boat was littered in dust bunnies and cobwebs. What exactly happened to her men that came out here? Something caught Livs attention from the corner of her eye. A dusty, torn paper map lies on the small table.

"The same map?" Liv said, gingerly picking up the old paper map and holding it up to the blanket map.

"I thought no one knew where the Oni temple was located..." Harumi added, not _technically _a lie on her part.

"So, why are there _two_ maps?" Liv questioned.

Harumi stayed quiet. After all, she is the _quiet_ one. But Liv was getting closer and closer, putting together the pieces. Slowly, but surely she would figure it out. And Harumi isn't even with the other ninja to know if they found out from their stupid trace program. The crash would've never been needed if they hadn't decided to trace her call to ultra violet. But the ninja did. And that's all Harumi knows for now. She just hopes that crash delayed them enough for her to get the mask and turn Liv.

"... The quiet one must've sent an expedition looking for the temple!" Liv concluded, looking around warily.

"Doesn't look like they got pretty far..." Harumi said, to be honest, none of her expedition here got very far.

Liv stayed silent, thinking. "Maybe we should go back... Regroup with the others and come back. I don't know about you, but I for one don't wanna find out what happened to the Sons of garmadon that were sent here..." Liv said, looking at Harumi.

Tiny alarms regarding her plan went off in Harumi's head. No no no, if they went back, the men that she sent to ambush the ninja would catch her and Liv too. And they were so close to the mask! She couldn't go back. Harumi's let her emotions get in the way of her true goal for too long. Let them cloud her judgement. She had to stay on track. Harumi didn't come here to make friends (No matter how badly she wanted them). The ninja are the enemy, everyone who sides with the ninja, are the emime. She will not side with the enemy.

"I dunno. I mean - according to the map, we're close to the temple. And besides, maybe we'll have better luck." Harumi said, picking up a pair of keys that we're sitting on the table and walking over to the front of the ship towards the steering wheel. Harumi placed the key into the stiff key hole, and turned, the boat sputtered but didn't start. Liv sighed, then decided to help Harumi with the boat. Harumi turned the keys one last time, and this time, she was met with a slight jerk as the boat sprang forward.

Harumi yelped as she was thrown off balance. But it soon dissolved into giggles as Liv stumbled over a long pole that was lying on the deck. Having forgotten any doubts she had, Liv laughed with Harumi. Rising to her feet and walking over to Harumi.

"Well, why don't we put our luck to the test?" Liv said, picking up the pole that she'd tripped over and walking to the front of the boat.

Yes, why don't they?

* * *

"So, what's the deal? Y'know? With you and Lloyd?" Liv asked, joingly. Harumi blanched, she knows clearly how Lloyd feels about her, but Harumi doesn't feel the same. Her anger towards him makes it a bit hard. And - Gosh Darn it! She's trying to distance herself from Liv! But she just keeps making it harder and harder!

"... He's - He's sweet. And seems like a good guy." Harumi said, trying to sound smitten. Liv chuckled.

"He really likes you." Liv breathes. "What about you?"

Harumi freezes. Sure, Lloyd is funny and sweet and heroic and just… Everything that Harumi isn't… But she still has that vendetta against him. How could she carry out her plan if she's too busy with him? She's already having second thoughts just being around Liv!

"One girl trying to find some crazy mask while on the run from crazy biker people to another." Harumi said, making Liv laugh. "I would be very lucky to end up with him." Harumi answered.

Liv smiled. "I agree." She said with a wink, turning back around to the water. Harumi frowned. She would be lucky...

* * *

"you - Do you think it's really possible? To bring someone back?" Harumi asked after a bit. For the quiet one, she really isn't doing too good a job of being quiet.

Liv didn't answer, instead busying herself with finding out the depth of the water around them. But you better believe that Liv believes it. "I've... Seen a lot of things in my life. At first... No, I didn't. But now..." Liv laughed, almost bitterly. "... I'm not so sure."

Harumi sighed, turning the boats steering wheel a bit. "Does any part of you _want_ to see your father again? You lived in the underworld with him, right? Do you ever miss him?" Harumi asked. She needs to know, so she can use it. She's not Harumi Chang right now. The girl died with her parents. Right now... Right now, she's the Quiet one.

Liv stared into the murky water below. But she could still she herself. She lit a small purple/green flame in her palm, thinking. Did she miss her dad? Of course she did! She just could never get past what happened with Samukai in that village! Liv knew that when her dad was purged of evil, that all he did was ask the ninja where she was and if she was ever going to come. Saying that he needed to talk to her. But she never came. Liv couldn't face her father after that. She didn't ever see him the same after that day. But that doesn't mean she doesn't miss him! She loves him! Liv loves her dad with all her heart! But she couldn't look into his eyes, and she herself in them. Sure, Liv's dad didn't have powers, but he had that undying thirst to destroy. And when Liv looks into his eyes, even when he was cured, she still saw that undying thirst. She saw it in him, in the overlord, in herself, and... For the briefest time when she first saw Lloyd. Running around in that black hoodie with a mischievous grin and pulling pranks... She - She saw that same thirst in him too.

Liv finally turned back to Harumi. "I - I had Ninjago's greatest villain for a dad. But when I was little, and to a... Certain extent today. I don't see some - some monster. I see... A dad. Who... Loved his daughter, loved his son, loved his wife and brother. But no matter how he tried, my dad could never just... Stop. He could never just choose to stop being evil. That damn snake took that chance from him. And it was destiny that caused Lloyd to become the Green Ninja, and fight him. So, you ask if I miss my dad? Yes. Of course I do."

Harumi looked away. She had to maintain herself.

"... I would do anything to see my parents again." Harumi said, for once, not a lie.

Liv smiled sadly, extinguished her purple/green flame as soon as it was just that of vivid purple, and turned back towards the water. "I don't blame you." She said, gaze trained on the water. "But if they bring my dad back... The thing that scared me the most is..."

"... He won't be the man you recognize?" Harumi suggested, peering over the steering wheel to see Liv.

Liv shook her head. "Something happened when I was little. With my powers. I never recognized him after that. But, the sons of garmadon are trying to bring back... Darkness. Pure... Darkness."

Harumi sighed, still looking down. "He - He wasn't the greatest villain." She said, Liv looked back towards her, curious. "It's - It's the one you never even knew was there in the first place, the one who gets away." She said, face solemn.

"The Quiet one." Liv said, sticking the pole back into the water. But she couldn't help but think about the conversation that just occurred. Was she really mad at her dad all these years? Was he really the problem? Was it right to blame him when he couldn't help the evil that ran through his veins?

* * *

"So Cole jr. likes tea and went through a growth spurt. That doesn't mean he's Wu." Nya argued.

Little Cole jr. sighed. "Master..." He drained the rest of his tea. "Wu..." He breathed.

Nya frowned, the other ninja looked around, confused. "That's - That's him alright." Nya smiled. "But how did he get so young?" She asked.

Jay looked down towards the young master Wu. The toddler was busy trying to drink more tea from his empty cut. The young master held the cup to his eye, Peering into the cup. "Haha. Who knows? He's a living fortune cookie. Every he does is a puzzle meant to torture us!" Jay exclaimed, his happy demeanor dissolving into frustration.

The toddler master threw the cup onto the floor, the ninja cleared a path for the young master Wu to get to the tea pot sitting on the table. "Maybe we'll never know." Cole said, looking at the toddler with curiosity.

"Wait! Don't you guys remember? Master Wu was touched by the reversal blade when he disappeared into the time vortex! So what if the blade did more than stop his aging? What if it somehow made him younger?" Nya said, walking over to the table to pour toddler Wu more tea.

"If your assumption is correct, then he would begin to age more rapidly once the effects of the time blade have worn off." Zane inquired, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Pixal smiled in agreement.

"So that explains why a baby can learn to walk over night!" Lloyd added, also coming over to awkwardly pat his apprennet not toddler uncles takes Weird o a whole new level. And that's saying something.

"But how long until he's back to good old Wu?" Kai asked walking over to help Nya pour Wu his cup of tea. The young master fussd, impatiently waiting for the fire and water ninjas to finish pouring his tea. The two elemental's finish pouring the toddlers tea, and much to Kai's own confusion, the toddler sipped the still hot tea in pure delight. Some things will never change, it appears.

"Time will tell." Pixal concluded.

The shrill yell of the Banshee pierced the air. Startling the ninja into a panic."And our time is running out! How long till we can get outta here?" Lloyd said, looking around for any sons of garmadon.

"Not soon enough!" Nya exclaimed.

Pixal looked around, taking in the panicked expressions on her family, she could hear the engines of the sons of garmadon. And from her calculation, they were only about five miles away. Approximately ten minutes, tops. Pixal said that she wanted to be a useful member of the team. It's about time she does just that. Mind made up, Pixal bolted to her Samurai X mech.

"Pixal? What are you doing?" Zane shouted, concerned.

Pixal leapt into the mech and pulled her helmet over her silky silver hair. "Slowing them down." She answered firmly. And with that, she rocketed into the jungle, confident that she could by her friends enough time to escape.

"She can handle herself." Nya said, gaining the attention of the other ninja. "But we need to get this ship in the air! All hands on deck!" She ordered the elementals scattered to their different tasks of last minute repairs. Jay handed Little Wu to Lloyd, the green ninja cradled his toddler uncle in his arms.

"Lets go, uncle. You looked after us, it's only fair we look after you." He said, the young master looked up at his nephew, smiling.

The sons of garmadon sped through the jungle in their final stretches to the fallen destiny's bounty. Ultra Violet yelled again, speeding up and passing several of her bikers. Soon she was in the front with Kilo and Mr. E. She smirked deviously at them from behind her purple bandana. A deafening explosion erupted right in the center of the group of gangsters, sending dozens of the bikers flying.

Ultra Violet looked up to see a dark blue clad mech hovering above them, golden sword in hand. The Samurai X mech reigned fire down on the sons of garmadon. Ultra Violet sneered as she was forced to swerve out of the way of more missiles.

The Samurai landed in front of the group of bikers. Holding out her sword as if daring them to come and test her. The bikers shot Ultra Violet looks of fear, but she only glared at them. The gangster gulped, but charged the Samurai anyway. Pixal swung her sword effortlessly at the bikers swarming her, sending them to the floor.

Kilo grinned, pressing a few buttons on his dash. Dual cannons sprang up, aiming at the distracted Samurai. He launched the missles at the Samurai. Pixal looked up just in time to throw the meches hands up to cover her face.

"The timing of the SoG's arrival is unfortunate. We have not yet had a successful engine test." Zane said, pressing buttons on the Destiny's bounty's mainframe.

Jay whirled on the nindroid. "Fully successful? It blew up in my face!" He shouted, irritated. Stupid engine, stupid ship, stupid evil bikers, stupid stupid stupid -

"Uh, in _our_ faces!" Kai shouted back.

"Let's _not_ argue over the details!" Lloyd shouted back, the argument defused instantly at the volume in his voice. The five other ninja stared at him briefly. Lloyd never yelled at them before. Lloyd flushed, turning away and busying himself with his last minute tasks. The last thing he wanted was to get caught by the sons of Garmadon.

* * *

"Spider in the house, sleep, sleep. Spider bit the mouse, sleep, deep." Harumi sang, It had been awkwardly quiet since Her last conversation with Liv. Neither one of them could bring themselves to say anything. And Harumi took the time to re-think her plan over. Going over every detail, every scenario, even the worst case one's where she couldn't convince Liv to join her cause. But one thing was made up in her head. Clear as glass in her brain. She was doing this, she's going to carry out her plan to the fullest. No matter what.

"Don't wake up or else you'll find -" Harumi's song was abruptly cut off by Liv.

"Stop the boat!" She demanded. Harumi quickly cut the engine, perplexed.

"There's definitely rocks in the water. We need to find another -" Liv's own sentence was cut off this time as the pole that she'd been using was snatched from her and dragged under the murky water. "...What the heck?" She said, looking at her now empty hands.

"It's definitely not a rock." Harumi deadpanned.

"You think so?" Liv said sharply. Harumi flinched slightly as Livs eyes flashed.

"Sorry." Liv muttered softly. Harumi forced a smile.

The boat suddenly lurched in the water, causing Liv to topple over and Harumi to grip the steering wheel for dear life. "What was that?" Harumi asked, clinging to the wheel.

"I'm thinking what the early expedition ran into. Start the engine! Go, go!" Liv shouted, getting to her feet and turning to the water just in time to see a long, scaly tail. The elemental quickly whirled back to Harumi. "Hurry!" She exclaimed. Harumi quickly started the boat, and in a matter of seconds the two teens were racing through the water without a care in the world as to how shallow the water was anymore.

At least she now had an idea of what happened to all the men she sent here to find the mask, sort of. Liv ran towards the back of the ship, peering into the water frantically.

"What in the water?" Harumi shouted.

Liv shook her head, she didn't know. "Don't know! But whatever it is, it's gaining on us! Is this as fast as the boat can go?"

"It won't go any faster!"

Liv began frantically throwing anything that dared come into her line of sight overboard in an attempt to lighten the boat. The boat sped up, if only the slighted. She looked back to the water looking for the outline of the creature chasing them. She caught a glimpse of the creatures form speeding towards the front of their boat. Liv quickly bolted the short distance towards the front, just as a huge, rusty orange pincher speared through the front of their boat. The small boat bobbed in the water, Liv and Harumi stood up quickly, looking around warily.

Soon, a second attack was launched on the poor boat, taking out the back side of the boat and the engine. The monster reached another claw up for a third attack, Liv pulled out her katana, but the beast's claw snapped the blade in two. Liv stared at the hilt of her blade, dumbfounded.

"Why didn't you blast it?" Harumi said, incredulous.

Liv whirled on her friend. "I panicked!"

Harumi stared a bit longer before shrugging. Liv tossed the useless blade into the water.

The beast rose from the water a final time. Ready to deliver the fatal blow. Liv didn't hesitate this time. Her eyes flashed as she powered up a dark energy blast.

"Leave us alone!" She screamed, voice echoing with her powers. Harumi starred in wide-eyed shock. Yes! This is what she needs! Liv released a powerful pulse of dark energy. The creature screeched, retreating back into the water. Liv sighed, sitting down as her eyes turning back to it's normal shade of - red? Harumi thought her eyes were green? But before Harumi got to do a double take, the red was replaced with green. Harumi sighed.

"You good?" Liv asked, sounding tired.

Harumi nodded blankly. "You?" She said, Liv looked at her, smiling.

The two sat. Taking a few moments to calm down before having to deal with the fact that they're now drifting aimlessly on a river that's pulling them - wait pulling them? Where'd this current come from?

"Were being pulled down stream!" Harumi warned, standing up. Liv shot up, then immediately grabbed her head, the begins of a migraine forming. "We have to turn around." She said, panicked.

Harumi gaped. "That thing is back there!" She argued.

Liv gave her a look, and Harumi backed down."Grab onto something!" Liv shouted, grabbing a rope. Panic turning to full blown alarm. Harumi looked up ahead of her, eyes widening. A waterfall. Holy first spinjitzu master! It's a freaking waterfall! She quickly took the other end of the rope and wrapped it around one of the rungs on the steering wheel.

"HOLD ON!" Liv screamed, clutching the rope for dear life.

But apparently, just wrapping a rope around a rung on a useless steering wheel does nothing. The rope came loose the moment they went over the waterfall. Time seemed to slow as the two girls hovered in the air, weightless for all of two seconds. Because before they knew it, the two blonds were falling fast towards the water.

* * *

Nya pushed the last lever. Please work please work please work! The ninja waited in tense silence, it all came down to this. If the bounty didn't start, they would be caught. And the sons of garmadon would have all three masks. And failure was not an option here. Plus, Lloyd needed to find his sister. He had to get her.

But apparently Lloyd's taken after Kai, because he's chewing his lip raw for nothing. The bounty starts just fine. He cheers along with his family, it's time to get out of this jungle.

"Thruster?" Nya calls.

"Seventy percent." Zane answers, typing in the last commands into the mainframe.

"Systems?"

"She'll live. Get us in the air." Kai says. Giving Nya a thumbs up.

Lloyd mentally counts everyone one last time. "Wait, what about Pixal?" He asks.

Nya grinns. "Said it already. She can handle herself." Lloyd frowned slightly at his answer, but he guesses that's the best he's gonna get. Nya looks back up to the computer screen. Waiting for the engine to fully start so she can fly her family out of this jungle. The screen hones in on a point on the map of ninjago displayed on the computer screen. A red signal pulsing over it. Nya frowns.

"What's that?" Lloyd asks, stepping behind Nya.

"It's - It's the trace program the computer was running to find the Quiet One's location. Remember?" She answered, eyeing the screen.

"So?" Kai prompted, also coming to stand next to Lloyd.

"It's finished. But it says that the signal originated from the bounty!" Nya exclaims.

Lloyd frowns. That doesn't make sense! How could the signal from the quiet one come from the bounty? His friends wouldn't do that.

… Right?

Lloyd's mind races through memories, desperately trying to think of any time where his friends were acting… Suspicious. His mind wandered over to a memory he had of his father when they were running from the Overlord.

"_The golden power needs to be protected, forces will seek it, try to take it for their own. Even your friends may one day covet it."_

"_You must be prepared to continue this journey alone."_

Lloyd shook his head. Banishing his speculations. He still stands by what he said to his father. Lloyd still believes that his friend would never hurt him. He had to.

"That's impossible!" Cole says from where he's cradling the young master Wu. Lloyd looks to Cole first. Suddenly unable to keep his suspicions at bay. Why so defensive, Cole… Lloyd once again finds himself lost in thought. He found himself going over what happened with the Overlord and his dark matter. He found himself wondering if his friends were really on his side. Lloyd never really did know what they were doing in the year that they decided to abandon him. He really didn't even know what they were doing after Zane died. He knew that Kai had joined an underground fight club… Maybe he fell in with the sons of garmadon early on? That would explain what he said when he had Chen's staff of elements, and when he'd led him to Chen's twisted final match.

But the thought of Kai working with the Sons of Garmadon made Lloyd want to throw up. Because Kai's his big brother. And Lloyd'll even go as far as to say that he might favour Kai over the others (But that doesn't mean he still doesn't love his family, all of them. He'd still willingly, without a doubt, lay down his life for any of them).

Lloyd found himself slowly backing away from his friends, the doubt invading his mind. He caught Kai looking over at him, concerned. Lloyd almost bolts.

"The only ones on the ship were us, Pixal, and…"

Lloyd almost misses what Zane says. He stops his retreat and turns his head cously towards Zane.

But he immediately wishes that he'd ran when he'd had the chance. Because the name that leaves Nya's lips makes him. Lloyd numbly hears Kai shouting his name. He numbly feels the sharp needles in his ankle after he jumps from the bounty. But he hears Zane's last sentence.

"We must warn Liv, immediately!"

Lloyd keeps running, eventually he can't take the knives in his ankle and leans on a tree. An anger wracked scream tears through Lloyds throat. He pounds a fist green energy powered fist into the tree. Lloyd stops when he hears the light crunch of feet on the jungle floor. He looks up to see Kai. Of course, Kai followed him, can't ever let Lloyd sit and punch the life out of the nearest object in peace.

Kai stands in front of Lloyd for a beat before coming to sit next to him.

"It's okay." Kai says lightly. Lloyd looks up at him, his anger simmering.

"Kai -" Lloyd starts, standing up. He doesn't want to talk about it right now. But Kai's not having any of that. He grabs Lloyd's sleeve, preventing his escape. Lloyd sits down, albeit begrudgingly.

"You know, Skylor was evil too." Kai continued, still gripping Lloyd's sleeve.

"She was Chen's daughter, she helped him take Zane and steal his element. Then she helped him capture the rest of us. I thought she played me. And I was so mad at first." Kai says, chucking to himself at the memory.

"Kai, I really don't -"

"But then she asked Chen to spare me. And we talked. I found out her reason, and I managed to sway her. So being mad and wanting to punch something isn't bad, Lloyd. Trust me, I'm an expert on being mad. But if anyone can talk her down, it's you." Kai says, pulling Lloyd into a side hug. Try as he might, but Lloyd can't keep the smile off his face. Maybe he could talk Harumi down.

* * *

Liv slowly pulled herself from the water and onto the sand, heaving Harumi up with her. The two teens sat in silence. Taking in the sweet relief of being on dry land.

"Are - Are you okay?" Liv says, more of a statement than a question.

Harumi turns her head in the sand to look at Liv. "Yeah, are you?" She says, exhausted.

Liv nodded in responses, too tired to try and sit up, and her throat to dry to talk more. But something catches her attention from the corner of her eye, Liv slowly sits up, and Harumi just looks on in confusion.

"We made it." The elemental says, fully standing at staring off into the waterfall that they just went over. Harumi let her head drop back down.

"Yeah, barely." She says dryly.

Liv looks back to her, a wide grin pasted on her face. "No, _we made it!_ To the temple!" Liv Claims, pointing at the waterfall. Harumi goes rigid before bolting up right. She follows Liv's outstretched hand, and sure enough, Harumi can see the outline of the temple that she's tried so desperately to find.

"The last Oni temple." Liv states, awestruck.

Harumi's smile spreads to a devious smirk. Finally, She's steeled herself for this moment, this is where everything falls to line. She can't afford to mess up now. She can't.

But she's sorry. She's so sorry, Liv.

* * *

**OOOOWAAA! Fun little chapie to write. Well little is an understatement this was not supposed to be almost 10k but hey, oh well. Just had to add Harumi and Liv talking about Lloyd lol.**

**Next time: She can sabotage, she can lie and cheat, she can play people like it's a game, she can **_**hate.**_** But she can also care. She can laugh and be happy, she can have **_**friends**_**. But how will Harumi's choices effect the girl she calls friend?**

_**~GreenGirl**_


	12. Two truths, one lie

**It takes two**

**Chapter 12**

**Two truths, one lie**

**Review Reply: **

**MarySue9084: awww! Thank you so much. I've always felt like harumi wasn't given good motivation to do what she did in s8 and s9. Like, if she's just gotten some therapy instead of trying to resurrect some spirit… Would've saved us a whole bunch of heartbreak. I'm glad you think my writing is improving with each chapter. I'll always appreciate your reviews :) and for the record! You're doing awesome! Please people! Go read MarySues fanfic forgotten family! Go and read it!**

**Disclaimer: I do ****NOT**** own Lego Ninjago: Masters of spinjitzu or any of its characters! I only own my OC, which is Liv Garmadon, and Liv Garmadon only!**

* * *

Harumi surveyed the cave with a critical eye. Taking in the dark matter engraved in the wall, to the dozens of stone pillars in front of her. Harumi starred quizzically at the pillars that were marked with an odd symbol. She also turned to the half destroyed staircase that lay just past the stone pillars. She followed after Liv, jumping from stone pillar to stone pillar.

Harumi felt the whole cave shudder. She looked up to see Liv standing atop a crumbling marked stone. It took all of her self restraint not to help her. Harumi needed to see what would happen. And she wasn't about to test the odd symbols on the stones herself, that's why she brought Liv along for the ride. Only now, Harumi really wishes it was Lloyd.

Liv jumped to a pillar to her left, pulling herself up. "Okay, don't touch the pillars that have that symbol on them." Liv said, pointing to the fallen pillar. Harumi nodded, even though she knows that it's another promise that she can't keep. Liv smiles, turning around and jumping to another pillar.

With her enemy's back turned, Harumi leans over, hand hovering just above a symbolized stone. She shakes her head and presses down on the pillar, it immediately crumples at her touch.

"What's going on?" Liv exclaimed, whirling around. Harumi pulled her arm back, displaying her innocent mask, just as she's practiced.

"I don't know! I didn't touch anything!" She shouted back.

"Harumi, the exit!" Liv cried, leaping back towards their only exit. That was currently closing.

"No. no, no, no!" Harumi said, throwing a hand out in front of her, willing the exit to re-open. Liv frowned. Turing back to Harumi.

"Umm, well, no turning back now…" Liv said dryly before jumping back towards the staircase.

Harumi frowned, but jumped after her nonetheless. Each step moving her closer and closer to her endgame. And Harumi was not looking forward to it if it went wrong.

* * *

It was inevitable, really. The sons of Garmadon ambushed the ninja before they could even warn Liv of Harumi's identity. Lloyd and Kai stayed hidden in the thicket of trees near the bounty. Listening to every breath taken on the poorly repaired ship.

"We have to help them." Kai said, pushing past Lloyd.

Lloyd grabbed the back of Kai's Gi, hauling him back. "You'll get caught. We have to warn Liv before Haru - _The Quiet One's_ help arrives, okay?" Lloyd said, face neutral. Kai frowned, he did not like that look on Lloyd's face, but backed down nonetheless. They would just have to wait it out.

"Where is he? Where's The green ninja?" Kilo demanded, stepping closer to the three tied up ninja. He was sure that there were three more (Well, the quiet one had taken out the green ninjas twin. But Kilo was sure that the green ninja himself didn't jump off the ship after her, although he wouldn't be surprised if he did with his whole hero facade). The - The red ninja was also missing from the-not-so-colorful-group -of-blues-black-grays-and-whites. But he wasn't important. The Quiet One only needs the Green one and his twin sister.

"Like we'll ever tell you." Nya said, disgusted. Like they'd rat out Lloyd.

Kai scoffed from where he'd hidden himself behind Lloyd. For once, that bright green gi really paid off. Kai's bright red one? Not so much.

"What are we? Chopped liver? How come everyone's always after you? Like, I get that you're the green ninja, but come on! It's so predictable." He said, throwing his hands in the air. Lloyd stifled his laughter, smacking Kai on the back of the head.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing? Harumi's planning on resurrecting Garmadon! Lord. Garmadon." Jay exclaimed, twisting around to look at all the SoG.

"I guess you never had the chance to meet him." Cole said smugly.

Kilo scoffed, leaning against one of the bounty's rails. "No, but we're looking forward to it." He says, gaining laughter from the bikers.

The four chained Ninja starred defiantly at the gangsters. "In our experience, when the bad guys try to unearth an ancient evil, it never ends well for them." Zane states, making direct eye contact with Kilo.

"Yeah, just ask Pythor, Master Chen, Morro, or even Garmadon himself." Jay said, smirking.

"Hmm, then it's a good thing the quiet one isn't a bad _guy_, but a bad _girl_." Ultra Violet said, tossing her sai from hand to hand.

Lloyd growled. Stomping off to probably punch some more trees. Kai followed him.

"Hey, Lloyd. Listen, you just told me that we have to wait, yeah? You're gonna get yourself killed if you rush in there right now, Okay?" Kai reasoned, walking behind Lloyd and placing a hand on his shoulder. Lloyd huffed, he had been trying to feel Liv's power, she said that they're powers were kind of connected, right? So why can't Lloyd feel her now? He stiffened for a beat before sighing. He'll wait, just for a bit.

* * *

Apparently, touching every stone with that weird marking was probably not the best way to go. Especially now that the last one Harumi pushed led to the stone stairwell that her and Liv were currently on to collapse.

"You okay?" Liv asked, hauling Harumi up.

"Yeah." She breathed.

Liv nodded, then plucked a torch from the wall. Harumi stared blankly, waiting to see if Liv was going to use her powers or walk in the dark. Harumi was content either way. Liv really didn't know if she should use her powers in the temple. She could practically feel all the dark matter radiating from the walls. She could feel it boosting her powers and making her eyes flash.

She finally relented, lighting an extremely small purple/green flame in her palm, she held the torch to the flame in her hand and it lit up instantaneously. Shadows danced on the wall, and Liv shuddered.

The two walked in the eerie light of the purple flame. They walked through the tunnel wearily. Soon enough, the tunnel opened up to reveal a large clearing. Harumi looked around in awe. She took in the paintings on the wall, the water flowing in winding paths on the floor. She focused her attention on the paintings on the wall, curious. She hadn't seen these in any of the books she read about the oni.

"It's their story. The Oni." Liv said, remembering what Mystake had told her, Lloyd, and Jay. "When the first spinjitzu master escaped their world, they must've come looking for him. He was their Key to winning their eternal war with the Dragons. The Oni must've holed up here, explains all the traps. They must not have wanted any visitors." Liv said softly.

Harumi wasn't really paying attention to Liv's story, she knew it all, yet the murals amazed her. They're _beautiful_. "Look, It's the symbol from early." Harumi said, pointing to the first wall. She looked around to the second wall. No symbol. Harumi thought. If the symbols on the stone pillars crumbled on touch, then maybe it's the same with these walls? Maybe? Yeah. But she wasn't about to test her theory herself.

"Maybe you can break through one of these walls. If the symbol from earlier is on this wall, this one must be booby-trapped." Harumi suggested, turning to Liv. Liv nodded, turning to the wall that didn't have the symbol on it. She handed the torch to Harumi before powering up a orb of dark energy.

Liv bit her lip, what if this is the wrong wall… Liv thought for a beat before powering down.

"What's wrong?" Harumi said. Liv frowned, turning back to Harumi.

"... If the Oni wanted to protect the mask, they would know anyone who got this far would avoid the markings. And besides, the pillars with this marking fell. This is the way." Liv said, walking over to the symbolized wall.

"But you see the water." Harumi argued. "If you break the wrong wall, the whole room will flood!"

Liv smiled, though she really didn't need the extra pressure. "Then I sure hope I'm right." Liv replied, she powered up another orb in her hands, thrusting the ball of dark energy into the wall. Harumi and Liv waited anxiously. Harumi waiting to see if she was right, and Liv waiting to see if she was wrong.

The symbolized wall crumbled slowly, no water poured from it in the end, to Liv's eternal gratefulness. She didn't feel like going for a swim today. Liv laughed, triumphantly. "Come on!" She urged, all but running down the tunnel.

Harumi sighed. One step closer. The final steps in her concrete path.

The two walked down the tunnel in silence, ready to get the mask and get out. Liv looked forward, holding the torch at arm's length. She felt weird. Almost like something was pulling her through the tunnel. She didn't like it. Liv strained her eyes, willing them to let her see in the dim, eerie lighting.

"The mask of hatred." Harumi gasped, wide eyed. The blonds walked together towards a altar lit by a ghostly purple flame, in the center, a purple mask with a maniacal grin spread across its face with two long fangs. Liv shuddered again, she still felt like the mask was pulling her. In her hesitation, Harumi moved forward towards the mask.

Harumi stepped up to the altar. She's finally made it. She's finally going to be able to resurrect Lord Garmadon, her king. She's finally going to fulfill her vendetta against Lloyd and the ninja, she's going to avenge her parents and restore Ninjagos rightful ruler. She's going to get everything she's ever dreamed of.

So why does she hesitate?

Harumi looked back briefly, eyes locking on Livs bright green irises. Harumi swallowed. For her plan. She reached for the mask, but she couldn't grab it. She pulled back, incredulous. What? Harumi tried again, but she still couldn't grab the stupid mask! She strained her arms, grasping for something that just. Wouldn't. Come! The fire all but shoved her back.

She turned to Liv, where she was shivering near the tunnels entrance. Eyes firmly shut. Harumi walks over, tapping her shoulder lightly.

"What?" Liv said sharply, voice echoing through the cavern. Her eyes flash a brilliant purple before Liv closed them again. Forcing her eyes back to emerald. Liv opened her mouth to apologize, but Harumi just ushered her to the altar.

"Only someone with Oni blood can take the mask." Harumi said, practically pushing Liv towards the altar. Liv stared at Harumi for a beat, expression unreadable, before she walked hesitantly over to the mask. Liv looked down at her hands. She still felt like she was being pulled! What's -

Liv's hands burst into a purple flame, Harumi yelped, stepping backwards. Liv turned back to Harumi, weary. Her eyes have turned Violet too. "It's - It's okay." Liv reassured. She reached into the flame, her hands locking around the mask, Liv closed her eyes, and pulled.

Liv stared at the mask in her hands. This? This is the thing that she and her family's been slaving to find? It's… Pathetic. The orbs surrounding them are gone and her eyes were back to their brilliant green. She turned to Harumi, expression still unreadable. But Harumi couldn't bring herself to care. She had the mask, all she had to do was convince Liv to hand it over (And maybe convince Liv to join her).

"Can I - Can I see it?" Harumi asked, reaching slowly for the mask.

Liv pulled away.

Harumi's heart raced.

"I just wanna see it." She said, trying not to sound as desperate as she felt.

Liv just pulled away more. "... How - ``Did you know?" Liv asked, voice weak.

Harumi laughed. "What do you mean? It's an Oni temple. It's safe to assume only an Oni could take it. And besides, the emperor and empress used to own a mask. I learned a thing or two about them." Harumi said, like it's a fact. She walked closer, slowly. Liv turned again.

"No." She said, face contorting. "How could you know… That I was one of those monsters? How'd you know I was part Oni?"

"You're related to the first spinjitzu master! He was an Oni, and you have powers of destruction!" Harumi argued, but she realized her mistake far too late.

"But I never told you that! Me, Lloyd and Jay were alone when Mystaké told us that story… You were never there!" Liv said, voice rising.

Harumi panicked, out of ideas. "Then I must've heard it from Jay!" She countered, trying to pull the mask from Liv. The elemental turned again.

The two circled each other. Harumi could see her plan falling apart like those symbolized stone pillars. Liv felt like she was being ripped to shreds. This _can't _be. It's _not _possible. _It's not_. It _couldn't_! It _can't_.

It… _Could_...

"I - I - No I - Don't want to believe it… Your - Your the _Quiet One_?" Liv whispered, voice so soft Harumi barely heard it. And she wishes she never had.

"How could you say that?" Harumi said, turning back to Liv. Trying to play the accused in all of the accusations.

Liv walked away, all but stumbling into the altar. "It all makes sense now… 'The greatest villain is the one you never knew was there in the first place.'" Liv said, voice taking on a almost threatening tone.

"_**You**__ said that."_

Harumi tried to pull off something offended. "Oh, yes, I'm the criminal mastermind! How could I have done this!" She argued, taking Liv by the shoulder. "Do you relize how stupid your sounding? You're - you're like a _sister to me." _

Something in Liv shattered.

"_Stay. Back."_ Liv demanded, shaking off Harumi and putting the mask behind her back.

"Liv?"

"You only wanted me to get the mask _you_ couldn't find!" Liv exclaimed, backing away from harumi.

Harumi sighed. To heck with it.

"_I didn't need you to find the mask." _Harumi spat, letting her mask fall. "It would've _already been mine_ if your _idiots_ friends hadn't stolen Wu from us." She said, Liv stopped in her retreat, incredulous. Her mind was filled with too many questions, and too many answers to questions she never asked nor wanted answers to.

"... The baby is my uncle Wu?" Liv whispered, Harumi just scoffed.

"Oh that's right." She said mock-pity seeping into her bitterly sweet voice that Liv remembers from the first time they met. "_You didn't know_."

"I knew to keep you close. Not everything goes to plan. Give. Me. The mask." Harumi said, once again pulling the mask from Liv.

Liv shoved her back, her friend was transforming before her very eyes. "No. I - I can't let you bring my Dad back… Not like that!" She screamed, eyes flashing…

Harumi stopped, and for a split second, Liv thought she saw a glimpse of something begging for forgiveness in Harumi's eyes. "Oh, then, if you won't give me the mask…" She said, voice like silk. She then kicked Liv to the group, the elemental fell back with a gasp, looking back up to a girl she once called friend.

"_Then I will __**take it!"**_

* * *

Harumi and Liv stood opposite of each other. The Oni mask of hatred between them. Every second felt like daggers stabbing Harumi, over and over. She didn't want it to come to this. She wanted to be alone when she took the mask, so Liv wouldn't see her. But she should've known that only an Oni could take the mask. But, she'll do what needs to be done, to ensure her triumph. Harumi lung for the mask, but Liv blasted it out of her grasp, it clattered on the far side of the cavern and Liv threw herself at Harumi, tackling her to the ground.

"WHY?" Liv screamed, sounding so heart broken, so sad, so - so angry.

"I never asked to be a princess." Harumi answered. Flipping over Liv. "Just as I never asked to be an orphan! But your twin and his ninja family gifted me that."

"How'd he do that?" Liv said, pinning Harumi back down.

Harumi snarled, pushing herself back up. "The great devourer! It was too strong, too big for him and his friends!" Harumi laughed bitterly. "Liv, you aren't so naive to think that no one got hurt that day."

Realization dawned on Liv, she glared, tossing Harumi off of her, this can't be… Liv refuses to believe it!

"Is that what this was about! Harumi…" Liv let out a painful noise that broke Harumi's heart even farther.

"It wasn't until the all mighty Lord Garmadon saved the day!" Harumi continued, pushing herself from the ground. "But he could save… My family. _I died that day too." _Harumi scowled at the memories flooding her head. Liv almost went and placed a hand on Harumi's shoulder in comfort… But she assumed that would get her another solid kick to the stomach. Liv instead powered up an orb of dark energy, aiming towards the Oni mask.

"... Give me one reason not to say goodbye to it right now."

Harumi whirled on her. " You want to see your father again!" She shouted. Livs face contorted. She should've kept her mouth shut! "I know you do! So the question is: Why are you so against me? You told me that you missed your father and wanted to make up for the time that'd you spent being angry about the past! So why? Why won't you help me bring him back? He saved ninjago from the great devourer! And all you ninja did to thank him was get him killed! Don't you see? I'm bringing back the person who saved the city!"

"THAT IS_ NOT_ THE SAME!" Liv roared. "I know that the devourer killed your parents, I. Am. _Sorry_. But if you were trying to bring them back, then I'd help you! I'd help you. But that's not what you're doing."

Harumi sighed heavily, hand feeling for the dagger she kept in her kimono. "We really are a Kindred spirit…" She said, pulling out the dagger and slicing a long, thankfully thin gash on Liv's right arm. Liv hissed in pain, glaring her own daggers at Harumi.

The two engaged in combat, Liv grabbing Harumi's arm, Harumi smirked, pushing the dagger into the crook of Liv's neck. Liv ducked under the blade, twisting Harumi's arm and pulling her into a purple/green spinjitzu. Liv tossed Harumi out of her spinjitzu, spinning to a stop. Harumi got back up, cackling.

"You put the virus on Zane! You caused the crash! Harumi, you're my friend!" Liv shouted, voice taking on an echo tone as her eyes flashed.

"A calculated risk!" Harumi scoffed. "Your friends were so close to the truth, I couldn't let them stop me._ Not even you_." Harumi continued like it should be obvious. Liv glared.

"Acting scared. Pretending to be our friend. Pretending to be_ my friend!_ Was it all an act? What about Lloyd? You said that you'd be lucky to be with him! How could you do this to him, Harumi? How could you do this to me?" Liv screamed, wrapping her arm around herself. Is it getting windy in here?

Harumi shot up, pointing the dagger at Liv. "This is _for _you!" She yelled, Liv quickly formed a small orb of power and caught the blade in it. But the words that just left Harumi's lips set in.

"What do you mean… 'For me?'"

Harumi smiled. She's doing it, she can convince her. "Bringing back my parents was my original plan." She started, not meeting Liv's strong gaze. "But when I realized that The magic I was going to use was Oni magic… I couldn't risk being them back… Evil. So I switched targets."

"To my father?!" Liv screamed, Harumi's intentions are just, but she can't. She _can't_. Liv won't let her… Will she?

"YES! Okay? I switched targets. When I met you, you were nice, and seemed to understand me. And you told me that you missed your father! Did you know that Lloyd misses him too? Did you know that he feels like it's his fault?! Don't you see? I'm no the enemy here, Liv. I was never the enemy. I just didn't want to give you and Lloyd false hope. I had to make sure everything was ready before I told you. By bringing him back, I'll avenge my family… And help you!" Harumi said, walking closer to Liv.

"All of this... Was for me?" She whispered.

"Yes. Will you help me? Will you help me bring back your father?" Harumi said. "You could be with him, show the ninja that he isn't a monster. Let Lloyd have the father he misses."

Liv thought. Harumi… Did this… For her? But that doesn't out way the bad that she's done. "But my family? I can't betray them!" Harumi finally crossed the gab and pulled Liv into a hug.

"But they'll understand. What kind of friends would they be if they didn't?"

Liv finally quieted, pulling back from Harumi with a smile on her face. "Not very good ones." She chuckled wetly.

Harumi laughed brightly, she did it. She didn't lose Liv. She didn't. Harumi let that finally sink in, she stood, helping Liv up. Liv would need a cool code name.

* * *

**HAHAHAHA! I was initially going to have Liv go on a rage like Lloyd over Harumi, but I thought that didn't make sense to have them bond like they did, just to throw it all to the wind in the end. So I have Liv joining Harumi! Because Liv feels like her dad sacrificed himself thinking that she never forgave him for what happened in the past. Which Liv really never did until she really thought hard about it in chapter 11.**

**Next time: The ninja just wanted to save Liv, get the mask of hatred, and stop the Sons of Garmadon, but when Liv arises on the side of the enemy… Not all things can be repaired...**


	13. Cascade

**It takes two**

**Chapter 13**

**cascade**

**If you want to see some fun facts that will be important to better understand this story, please look at the author notes at the end of this chapter. I know their long but it's important if you want to better understand these next few chapters. As of now the events in this fic will stray a bit from the events of the show.**

* * *

"_The keys! Get the keys! Please!"_ Nya whispered desperately at the toddler who stared blankly at her. Cole's singing was doing its job of annoying the heck out of Harumi's lackey, and his team for that matter. Zane met eyes with Lloyd and Kai, who were hiding in the vast jungle, he silently warned the green eyed ninja to hold his ground. Lloyd nodded and swiftly slipped back into the lush jungle.

Little Wu let out a far to light hearted laugh considering their situation, grabbed the tea pot off the table and took a few long sips, placing the teapot back on the table, Wu snatched the ring of keys from the table and waddled over to Nya, who exchanged smiles with Zane. The young sensei dropped the keys into Zane's hand and the nindroid wasted no time unlocking their restraints. Cole abruptly cut off mid-word, launching from his chains and kicking down the gangster in front of him, taken by surprise, the thug fell to the ground. The lightning ninja flipped over the group, landing next to Cole, who passed a katana to the curly haired teen. The gangster began to slowly get up, setting off warning bells in the ninja's heads, Jay swiftly held the point of the blade at the thug, who lowered his head in defeat.

"Thank you little Wu." Said Nya, picking up the small toddler. Lloyd and Kai quickly ran from their hiding spot in the jungle and climbed aboard the destiny's bounty.

"Guys! Where were you?" Cole said, running over to lecture his brothers on running off. Lloyd huffed, pasting a smile on his face that was all to fake and scuffing his shoe awkwardly on the wooden deck.

"Just had to… Clear my head. That's all." The green clad ninja replied nonchalantly. Cole's eyes softened as he placed a hand on Lloyds shoulder, hoping that his eyes were enough to convey what words couldn't. Lloyd gave a small half smile before turning to Zane.

"You said that we had to warn Liv. Have you guys reached her yet?" Lloyd asked, voice full of worry. The previously captured ninja exchanged glances, hanging their heads, Lloyd let out a deep growl, rubbing his temples.

"Okay - Okay, we've gotta get to the temple. Right now." He ordered, the ninja snapped into business, their ship no longer having unwanted guests, they set off towards the last Oni temple, for real this time.

* * *

Lloyd hit the punching bag fiercely. It wasn't so hard when he imagined it was Harumi. Oh, how he wishes he could really hit her. He would slap her all the way to the dark island. Blinded by his anger, Lloyd didn't even realize that his fists were powered with green energy as he swung them at the punching bag. He didn't even realize that the green in his hands were growing brighter and brighter. Lloyd sent one final swing at the bag, the thick fabric caved under the punch, spraying sand all over the floor.

The blond huffed, shaking out his hand and grabbing a broom to sweep up the sand. But, because Lloyd is an idiot, he kept getting angry when the punching bag kept spilling more sand on the floor. He swept up the sand, walked away to put it into the trash can near the back of the training room, came back, only to find a new pile of sand on the floor. So he continued the process again, sweep, throw away, comeback, sweep, throw away, comeback. Why did this bag have so much sand? Sweep, throw away, come back. It was almost like everything Lloyd did in his life. He would clean up one pile of sand, stop the big bad from destroying the city and killing his family, throw away the sand, be happy and content for a few months, come back and find more sand on the floor, only to do it all over again. He huffed, throwing the broom and dustpan to the floor in a fit of anger.

"Hey, green bean. You good?" The water ninja popped her head in the room, she took one look at the broom and dustpan on the ground, the still leaking punching bag, and the flushed face of her brother and let out a sigh, stepping into the room and pulling Lloyd into a hug.

"You've gotta stop beating yourself up like this." Nya said, running a hand through Lloyds sweat drenched hair. Lloyd chuckled dryly. "We need a fully functional green ninja so we can beat up the sons of garmadon." She added in a small whisper.

"_They're_ not the sons of garmadon._ I _am." Lloyd said quietly into the crook of Nyas neck. She laughed softly, muttering "Yeah, you are."

Nya finally pulled away, and Lloyd suspiciously swiped at his eyes. Nya looked at the ever growing pile of sand on the floor and Lloyd rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Nya just smiled and grabbed a roll of tape from one of the cabinets near the back of the training room. She bit off a strip of tape and placed it over the hole in the punching bag. Lloyd looked dumbfounded, smacking his head.

"Why didn't I think of that?" He said, laughing despite himself.

"Because, I'm the smart one here." Nya said smugly.

"I thought that was Zane?"

"You don't see Zane in here putting tape on the punching bag, do you?"

Lloyd laughed, picking up the broom and placing it on the wall. Nya slung an arm over his shoulders, and the somewhat light hearted mood took a nosedive for a much more somber atmosphere.

"Lloyd, you know that what happened with Harumi wasn't your fault, right? What she did was wrong on so many levels and when I see her I'm going to unleash hell on her. You hear me?" Nya said, shaking Lloyds shoulder.

"We shoulda pitched her off the bounty on day one." Lloyd muttered darkly. Nya looked to be seriously considering it.

"Oh, we're gonna make her _wish_ we'd pitched her off the bounty, Lloyd." Nya said with a malicious glint in her eyes. Lloyd chuckled a bit. Nya, having completed her mission, took Lloyd by the arm and led him out of the training room and into his shared room with the other ninja.

"Look what the cat dragged in. Nice of you to finally join us, Lloyd." Cole laughed from where he sat on his bottom bunk bed below Kai, the earth ninja was holding little master Wu in his lap, who immediately brightened up when he saw Lloyd.

"Oh hush." Nya said, climbing up to sit next to Jay on his top bunk while Lloyd climbed onto his own bunk below Nya's. Because honestly, the resident water ninja had endured through so many of their late night talks that they just gave Nya her own bed. She spent more time in the ninja's shared room talking and playing board games with them than in her own room.

"Okay." Kai announced, drawing the attention onto him. "We need to discuss more important matters." He said, propping his head in his hands.

"And what's that?" Asked Cole, bouncing the little sensei.

"Uh, Duh! We've gotta plan to take out the quiet one!" Kai exclaimed, smirking. Jay lit up like a christmas tree, the deep sapphire blue flecks in his eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement. Lloyd sighed, he truly did want to pitch Harumi off the bounty. He did want revenge… But he had to be the… _Responsible one._

"Guys, come on. We're ninja. We can't just go murder people in allies just because we want to." Lloyd said, trying to force the longing out of his voice. His friends were aghast, and had no problem announcing their disagreement.

"Llooyyd! Come on, you of all people should want to get some revenge!" Kai whined, throwing up his hands in exasperation.

"We're ninja! We can murder who ever we want in an ally! And the best part is that nobody would know! And you wanna know why? Because we're ninja!" Jay said, the room went deathly silent.

"What?" Asked Jay, Nya, having finally wrapped her head around what her boyfriend had just said, swifty swatted him across the head, the room howled with laughter, and Lloyd couldn't help but agree with his blue clad brother.

"Lloyd, I think that in this instance, getting a little bit of revenge would be acceptable." Zane said, reasonably. His brothers and sister nodded their agreement, and Lloyd finally caved.

"Fine, fine. Just a little revenge." The group cheered, pumping their fists in the air and laughing. Even the young sensei Wu clapped his small hands in delight.

Suddenly, the bounty came to a halt, causing the it's members to stumble. Lloyd shot out of the room like a rocket, the rest of his team not too far behind. The blond sprinted onto the deck, peering over the rails at the last Oni temple. Their laughter was left in the room.

"Alright, guys, what's the plan?" Jay said, eagerly.

Lloyd wasn't paying attention, he took a few steps back from the rails. "Follow me." He ordered, then without warning, pitched himself over the side of the ship, he heard his friends yelp in alarm, but soon he wasn't the only one falling through the sky. Kai and Nya we're at his side, the fire ninja held out a fist, Lloyd smiled as the two bumped their fists together. The blond ninja spun into his emerald green spinjitzu as the ground came closer into view, cueing the others to follow suit. The team of ninja landed on the jungle floor with a thump. Jay laughed, ever the one to break the silence.

"Now _that… _ Was awesome!" He exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air. The curly haired teen flopped on the ground, his fist still held high in accomplishment. Nya laughed, prodding the lightning ninja with her foot.

"Come on, we've gotta job to do." She said, holding out a hand. Jay took her hand gratefully.

The ninja crept through the jungle, straining their ears for even the softest sounds. Lloyd wouldn't admit this to anyone, but he's ready for more than a _little_ revenge. Just thinking about the Quiet One made his blood boil! And, Lloyd's not stupid (You hear that, Kai? He's not). Lloyd knew that Harumi and Liv were friends. How could Harumi do that to his sister? The green ninja didn't know what this feeling was, but he felt the need to protect his twin, even though she's the older one. He felt like he had to protect her with every fiber of his being, he needed to be there for her. He _needs _to be there for her! Without thinking, Lloyd summoned a small green orb in his palm, watching it flicker. He closed his eyes, relying on his ears to guide him. The sound of the rushing river was somewhat calming… When Lloyd opened his eyes, the green in his hand was flickering with gold, the swirls in his palm were stretching itself towards a large waterfall.

"Look. There's the temple! It's in the waterfall!" Lloyd said, pointing at the beautiful waterfall. The rest of his team were silent, staring just below the cascading flow of water, Lloyd frowned. "What? What is it?" He asked.

"That's a boat…" Jay whispered, Lloyd followed his gaze and gasped. There, at the bottom of the waterfall, pieces of wood floated above the water's surface. Could that have been…?

Lloyd tore his gaze away from the wreckage, he sent the orb of green energy into the air, it stayed still for a beat before it was buzzing all around him, swirling in between his fingers and hair. The orb fluttered up in his face and stood there, Lloyd subconsciously reached out a hand to touch it, but the ball of energy just raced away through the jungle.

"Come on!" Lloyd shouted, snapping the others out of their shock. Kai was about to ask how and what the heck Lloyd was doing, but didn't get the chance, because soon Lloyd was sprinting through the jungle after the orb.

Lloyd took out his katana and began hacking away the vines and branches as he ran. Following the glowing orb, it seemed to be getting brighter and faster by the minute. Soon Lloyd could hear voices, one of them sent a shiver down his spine. It sounded almost echoey and distorted. But he couldn't figure out why the voice sounded so familiar. The second voice, however, filled him with anger. He could pick out the sweet taunting laugh anywhere.

Lloyd stopped behind a large thicket of bushes and trees, watching as Harumi and the sons of garmadon strood down the dirt path. Lloyd looked around again for the orb, but it was nowhere to be found. The rest of his team showed up a moment later, peppering Lloyd with hushed questions he didn't care to answer. The ninja soon quieted as they too caught a glimpse of who it was they were watching.

Kai, whose literal motto is. 'shoot first ask questions later', lept from behind their hiding place and in front of Harumi, holding out his katanas in front of her. "Not so fast." He said, the light from the sun glinting off his blades, illuminating the fire in his eyes.

A gangster with a long black ponytail and pink streak stepped up behind him, a dagger pressing against his throat. But Cole was having none of that. The rest of the ninja emerged from the shadows like the stealthy ninja they are, weapons drawn and eyes blazing.

"Careful, you wouldn't want to _upset the child_." Cole said, his tone of voice was demanding nothing but obedience from anyone who was unlucky enough to hear it. The ninja slowly began to encircle the small group of SoG. Jay chuckled.

"Looks like we have the upper…" The lightning ninja was abruptly cut off when another fleet of gangsters arrived, they immediately took up positions to completely surround the group of ninja. Lloyd scowled, holding his katana with white knuckles. He didn't see his twin anywhere…

Ultra Violet flipped into the soon-to-be batle, cackling maliciously and brandishing her sai. She ran up to Nya, holding it dangerously close to the water ninja's side. Lloyd's scowl deepened as he tried to inch closer towards Nya and Kai, but Ultra Violet just waved the blade threateningly at Nya again, Lloyd huffed, focusing back on his real target. He then noticed that Harumi wasn't holding a mask… But Lloyd couldn't think too long on it because Mr. E popped out of literal thin air, ran into the standoff, and held his blood red katanas in front of Jay.

"Oh, come on!" Exclaimed Jay in exasperation. "Zane, I thought you said we had them out numbered!" He yelled, looking at the ice ninja incredulously.

Zane turned his head ever so slightly so he was facing Jay. "Um… That was before I knew how many of them there were." Zane replied, taking his aim at Harumi, who just stood there with a smile on her face.

The opposing groups were silent, each eyeing the other to see who was willing to strike first. Eyes danced around the circle like the small boy who was dancing and laughing like he was at the carnival. Harumi let out an agitated huff at the sight of the child. Her eyes flicked towards the bushes, silent worlds leaving her mouth.

"Where is she?" Lloyd demanded, glaring at the still smirking princess. Oh, he was gonna smack that smirk off her beauti - _smug_! Off Harumi's _smug _face. Not beautiful! Never beautiful!

"Where's who, Lloyd?" Harumi asked innocently. Oh, and if that didn't rub salt in a wound…

"Listen, Harumi. This can end one of two ways. Either you hand the masks over peacefully…" Kai stepped in, he had a feeling that Lloyd was seriously going to run Harumi through with his sword if someone didn't step in. A few SoG moved in closer, Jay yelped at the lack of space.

"I don't even have to know the rest of the choices. I like that one." Jay said nervously, glancing at the bikers.

"Or what?!" Harumi sneered.

"_Or_, we'll have to get all ninja up on ya!" Kai said, triumphantly. Dry glances were sent his way. Lloyd could've sworn he heard someone chuckle...

"And this is why Lloyd does the talking, Kai, you're just terrible." Jay deadpanned, receiving various nods in agreement.

"Oh, for FSMs sake! Where's Liv?!" Lloyd exclaimed, katana hovering dangerously close to Harumi's throat. This, for some reason, gained several laughs from the bikers. Harumi's smile grew wider.

"Right here, Lloyd." Came that echoey voice again, a figure that looked to be made of stone came and stood next to Harumi, through the stone Lloyd could see purple cracks all over the stoney person. This person was wearing a mask. This person was wearing the mask of hatred. The Oni mask of hatred was terrifying, shivers spread through Lloyd's body at the sight of it.

"Great, just great!" Jay complained. "And who are you?" He asked, but something clicked dangerously in Zane's head. He gasped, taking aim at the figure wearing the mask of hatred with uncharacteristic shaky hands.

"Zane, what is it?" Cole asked, eyeing the figure made of stone and Harumi. But Zane couldn't even answer him, he knew that moment it clicked for Cole, as with Kai and Nya. He had a feeling that it clicked for Jay, as the lightning ninja was gaping at the masked figure in disbelief, but something else flickered through Jay's expression, one Zane just couldn't place. But the nindroid hoped against hope that he was wrong, he prayed that for the FSMs sake that it didn't click for Lloyd.

"Hey! He asked you a question! Who are you?" Lloyd yelled at the figure. But the orb swirled into the standoff between the sons of garmadon and the ninja, the ball of green energy circled around Lloyd, then around the figure. It circled around the stone figure in a frenzy, spinning faster and faster until it was a streak of green. A purple orb flew from the Stoney persons hand and joined the green orb gliding around them. The two spheres flew around the green ninja and the person in the mask, finally coming to a stop and shifting into the center of the group, then without warning, the orb of dark and green energy flew at each other, forming one swirling orb of energy. The opposing sides watched as the greens and purples swirled together in the spheres before it finally dissipated. Leaving the group awestruck.

Then the figure slowly reached up to their face. And with a blinding flash of light, left a blonde girl wearing a forest green ninja gi with purple accents. Lloyd's world shattered, cascading down like a summer storm. Because he knows who wear's that gi. The figure opened her brilliant, emerald green eyes. And Lloyd felt like he had been stabbed, He scrutinized the girl standing before him. When she met his eyes, oh, Lloyd just knew. He could pick out every fleck of red in her eyes.

"No! No no no no _no! Liv?!_" Lloyd yelled, charging at Harumi. Kai and Nya were there to grab him from killing the princess in his anger, even though now, Nya knew she could probably chuck her spear at her and

It would probably skewer that little princess.

Jay couldn't even speak. Which was unsettling enough considering who he was. But all he could see was a little girl sitting on the bounty's deck with him. Eating chocolate ice cream and laughing about life's problems long into the night.

"Name's Tempest now." Liv said, stepping closer to Harumi and handing her the mask of hatred.

"No! No it's not! Your name is Liv Harlow Garmadon! That's your name! That's your name!" Jay screamed, finding his voice. He was stalking towards Liv, but strong, firm hands held him back. Jay looked back at Cole, master Wu held in one arm and his war hammer strapped to his back.

"Listen, guys. I know you have a lot of questions -" Tempest said calmly.

"You're damn right we do!" Kai exclaimed, Nya couldn't tell if she was holding back Lloyd or kai. Probably both.

"Before you go murdering Harumi, I made this choice all on my own. I made this choice out of my own free will. Something that us Garmadons never had the luxury to do. Your not going to understand why it is that I'm doing this until our plan unfolds completely. But I'm not going to attack you guys." Liv said, gesturing for the remaining bikers to back off, which they did with reluctance.

"Your not a Garmadon." Lloyd muttered softly, meeting Livs strong gaze with his own stubborn one.

"Sure I am. Dad sided with the overlord so he could create ninjago in his own image, so he could be with you and me. He was willing to be banished to the cursed realm in order to save ninjago from Chen and protect you. He was even willing to attack the ninja multiple times to stop the green ninja prophecy from happening! Sometimes, we have to do things that go against our morals. We do stupid things for the ones we love. You've done it too, Lloyd. You've all done stupid things to protect eachother. So, tell me, how does what I'm doing make me so different?"

"Because what you're doing is wrong!" Jay shouted at Liv, struggling in vain against Cole, who had misty eyes.

"Maybe you guys are the wrong ones!" Liv retorted. "How do you know what Harumi is doing is wrong? You haven't even heard her out! I did!"

"How are we supposed to trust Harumi when she lied to us! She lied to you too, Liv! She lied to me! She can't be trusted!" Lloyd argued, his voice holding desperation.

"The ends justify the means! Sure, Harumi lied, but she had good intentions. And if you'd just hear her out, you'd see them. Not everything is based on how _you _feel, Lloyd. And I'm done being worried about what you'll think of me or my powers. I'm not going to live worried about how you'll feel anymore. Not everyone got lucky enough to have powers that they're not afraid of. Not everyone got lucky enough to at least get their parents back. So maybe stop being a brat who only thinks about what's he's lost and make decisions based off your emotions and start making decisions based off of facts like I've done all my life!" Liv sighed, turned on her heel and walked towards Harumi. The blond girl took Harumi's hand in hers and held it high above the ninja.

"I'm with Harumi. I'm with the sons of garmadon."

Lloyd looked crestfallen, he looked down , tears staring to pool in the corners of his green eyes. Kai finally shook off Nya, who honestly just let him go at this point, because if anything the least she could do was comfort Lloyd, who had given up trying to escape her grasp. Kai bolted over to Liv, alarming several SoGs. The bikers grabbed Kai by the back of his gi, which in turn alarmed the ninja. Chaos broke out from there along with yells and threats.

"Let him go!" Liv yelled, and a hush fell over the group, the gangsters released Kai, and he shot them a glare that probably ended the ice age. He walked right up to Liv, his brown/amber eyes glinting with forbidden tears.

"Liv, come on, I know you've had it hard as a kid but you can't be serious! Siding with them?" He gestured wildly at Harumi. "After everything we've been through? You're just going to do this to us at the drop of a hat? You know this isn't right, I know you know. Did you know that Lloyd was worried about you? Did you know that we were worried about you? And you just went off on him! Liv, your our sister and you sided with the enemy! How could you?! We trusted you to get the mask, not give it to the sons of Garmadon yourself!" Kai paused, taking in an angry, heart broken deep breath.

"You know what? We thought that Lloyd getting to know you would be a good thing, to have someone he could talk to about your family when he didn't want to talk to us. Someone he could relate too and look up to other than us. But - you've shone who's team you're on… I'm starting to think we should've never met you at all." Kai said, one tear escaping his amber eyes, and with that, Kai turned on his heel and walked away. The rest of the ninja wouldn't even look at her as they left, Zane turned back, however, looking at her sadly.

"Think about your actions, Liv. And maybe you will see what we do." The ninja walked away, and Liv let out a shuddering sigh, turning back to Harumi with teary eyes. Harumi placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling warmly. But the smile held words.

Orders.

Liv nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes and meeting Harumi with a firm look. Harumi sent Liv a playful smile, a one that Liv returned. Liv concentrated, forming a green/purple dragon and flying after the ninjas retreating destiny's bounty. The dragon let out a mighty roar, alerting the ninja on the flying ship she once called home.

The dragon made a dive for the deck of the bounty, claws open and ready for the grab and go. She swooped down and shifty grabbed him, cries of alarm erupted from the bounty. The green ninja thrashed in her dragons paws, Liv blocked out his pleas and turned around.

Lloyd, however, was not one to go quietly. He pulled his katana and from its sheath and stabbed the foot of her dragon - and mother of all pain! It felt like Liv had actually been stabbed. The dragon let out another roar, this one of pain.

And dropped Lloyd.

The green ninja fell from the sky, and Liv completely panicked. Kai was trying to throw fireballs at her dragon, but each one was countered by Nya water blasts. Liv made a dive once again for Lloyd, but instead of him splatting on the jungle floor, A bright green dragon appeared instead. It flew high next to Liv's, and like accepted, the green energy in Liv's dragon was sucked into Lloyd's. The energy dragon seemed to glow brighter, it gained accents of gold. Liv's dragon turned a dark purple. The two eyed each other carefully.

"Lloyd. I will not fight you! Why are you making this harder than it has to be!" Liv screamed.

"Don't look at me. You've made this harder!" Lloyd retorted, he made a beeline for Liv, who swerved out of the way. Her dragon shot a jet of purple fire, causing Lloyds dragon to follow suit. The two beams of fire collided with ferocity. An aura blast was sent through the air, shaking the destiny's bounty.

The dragons ceased fire, now Liv flew for Lloyd, she flew head on at him, never once straying. Lloyd charged her too, the dragons of dark and green energy flew at each other at top speeds, but instead of colliding, Liv pulled up at the last second, grabbed the reins on her dragon, and flipped her dragon upside down. And in one swift movement, she landed a devastating kick to Lloyds stomach, sending him tumbling off his dragon, Liv used the momentum of her kick to swing herself back on top of her dragon. She flew downwards, caught him, secured him on her dragon, and flew away from the destiny's bounty.

"Nice work." Harumi praised Liv once she landed. An unconscious Lloyd flung over her shoulders. "You look like you're struggling to hold him." Harumi added with a laugh.

"He's not as light as he looks."

"Need a hand?" Harumi asked, gently easing Lloyd off of Livs shoulder. Lloyd sucked in a sharp inhale of breath in his sleep, and Liv backed away.

"N-No. I - I've got him. Wanna make sure I didn't hit him too hard." Liv answered, Harumi nodded in understanding. The green eyed girl smiled and carried Lloyd into the shade of a few tall trees. She set her brother down on the trunk of one of the trees, pulled out a rope from inside one of her gi's pockets, and gingerly tied the ropes around his wrists. Liv sighed.

What was she doing? Tying up her brother like he was some animal. They may be on opposite sides now, but she won't treat him like this. Liv relented, untying her twin brother's restraints and slinging an arm around Lloyds shoulder, running a hand through his hair.

Lloyd sorta curled in on himself, burying his head into hers. She felt something pull at her chest at the movment. He probably thinks this was all some dream, and that he's resting on Kai's shoulder. But then Lloyd began to cry in his sleep. Silent tears streaming down his cheeks. Liv pulled him closer, holding him protectively and muttering sweet little "it's okay" and "you're okay." Even though Liv knows full well that Lloyd is not okay. She's not having second thoughts, though. She's going to help Harumi bring back her father because Harumi is her friend. And she's gong to help her friend, which will help her, which will also help Lloyd.

(Even if Lloyd doesn't think that what she's doing is actually helping him).

Liv was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Lloyd was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. All of her composure came down in a cascade of tears she won't let fall. The weight of her decision was slowly catching up to her. The words that she threw at her friends finally catching up to her. Liv sighed. She believes that she's doing what must be done. She has no doubts about her plan and will make sure it is carried out. But seeing the utter rejection in their eyes…

_Think about your actions, Liv. And maybe you will see what we do._

Zane's last words to her stung. Maybe she wasn't doing the right thing? Maybe she wasn't helping anyone with her decision?

_I'm starting to think we should've never met you at all_

Did Kai really mean that? Would it have been better if they'd never met her?

Maybe Liv'll never know. But what she does know: Is that she's going to have to prepare for the worst. The ninja are not going to be happy with the rise of Tempest…

* * *

**Sadly Liv is very gullible and just wants to see her father again. And you better believe Harumi is very happy with getting all the masks and keeping her best friend. But Harumi does still want Garmadom to rule over Ninjago, but the plot will stray from the events of S8 and s9.**

**Fun fact: Livs middle name, Harlow, means army. But the name Garmadon has two different meanings that I think for well with the dark lord well. The first meaning is 'giver of darkness' and the second one is 'beloved teacher, beloved father.' But here's her full name: Liv Harlow Garmadon, or, Life's army and bringer of darkness… Liv can be both Ninjagos army or its doom bringer… And she knows it. Which is why she is scared of herself. Liv knows how powerful she is and is scared of it… Which will be very important later on. **

**Livs new code name, Tempest, actually means storm. Which I think also fits well with her at the moment. Because things are about to get very, very stormy in the next few chapter!**

**And just to clear things up, Lloyd and Livs powers are like the ying and the yang, since Liv and Lloyd's powers are both linked to energy, they can feel each other's elements, which is why when Lloyd summoned the orb of green energy it led him to Liv. They're two halves of a whole. Lloyd has green energy and is more dragon than he is oni, which means he's more related to creation. But Liv has dark energy, she is More Oni than she is dragon, so she is more destruction than creation.**

**Even though they're twins, they can't be actually the same. Even though Lloyd knows how powerful he is with his powers over creation. But Liv by far has it way worse with her origins (of thunderstorms and memories), and her learning she is part oni.**

**Next time: Lloyd is taken and the ninja have just been betrayed by one of they're sisters. The SoG have all three masks and the rise of Lord Garmadon draws nearer. **

_**~GreenGirl.**_


	14. How much was a lie?

**It takes two**

**Chapter 14**

**How much was a lie?**

**PrincePacman47: Aw, thanks! Glad to get this chapter out too. And **_**yes**_**, the fallout of that particular chapter will be incredible. So stick around for the good stuff! **

**AuroraRain18: I'm **_**unreasonably**_** proud of that particular scene. Glad you thought it was funny.**

**So just a little reminder, the A/N at the bottom of chapter 13 is important to better understand Liv and Lloyd's power connection, and another FYI, The plot of this fic will stray from the events of S8 and S9. But which events I cannot say :) **

**Little P.S, so the ninja didn't run into that little crab thing the Liv and Harumi ran into. They actually have the bounty. But sadly, the bounty is still a little banged up, so the SoG makes it to the city faster than the ninja because they've got a bunch of motorcycles. And Liv does have her elemental dragon. A little headcanon of mine is that the ninja lost the ability to form their elemental dragons after Morro possessed Lloyd. I don't really know why that's just my headcanon...and it's plot convenience, so yeah.**

**Disclaimerrrrr: I don't own Ninjago or it's characters. Just Liv. My OC. **

* * *

Attacking the punching bag like he was, Nya would've thought that Jay had swapped with Kai. He's usually the one you'd find on the destiny's bounty beating the life out of training equipment and having a full blown meltdown.

But Nya should never judge a book by its cover. That's gotten her and her family into a lot of unnecessary trouble - but she's going to put a sock in that train of thought, because the more she thinks about Tempest and The Quiet One, the more likely she is to either one) Pitch herself off the bounty and track them down, or two) Nya's going to strangle someone. And she's really, _really _trying to be the somewhat calm one here.

Nya pauses in the doorway of the training room. Watching Jay attack the poor training dummies that really don't deserve his uncharacteristic rage. The elemental of lightning turned his brief stumble into a roll, coming out of the barrel roll Jay sent out three blasts of crackling lightning at the three different training dummies across the room. The first two hit the dummies right in the center while the last bolt went slightly astray, just barely missing the dummies left side. Jay glares at the small scorch mark made on the wall by his awry lightning bolt, Nya sighed, finally stepping into the room.

The blue ninja doesn't even acknowledge her, just continuing to stare at the wall, and the water ninja was even more thrown off by his change of personality. Jay's the only ninja who just can't do the whole _'brood-in-silence' _thing. Because he's more likely to just sigh, very heavily, and very loudly every ten minutes until _someone_ notices him and inevitably says either _"Jay if you don't stop that, I swear i'll actually light Mr. CuddlyWomp on fire." _Or, "_Jay, Seriously? Stop that and just tell me what's wrong." _

Which is one of the many reasons why she admires the lightning ninja. He _talks_ about his feelings instead of bottling them up, or he has a breakdown and then tells you. But either way he still talks to her about his issues before they evolve into something way worse.

Unlike _some people_ she knows.

So when Nya finds Jay beating up poor training dummies, ignoring her, not sighing so loudly every ten minutes she tracks him down and cracks him like a walnut, Nya is ready to go full on investigator mode on him. And she's the best sheriff in town so you better watch out, lightning ninja, because once Nya decides to interrogate you, she will _not_ let up until she's got her answers and you've fully talked out_ all_ your issues.

"Thought Kai was the one to beat the heck outta the training equipment. What's up." Nya says, bluntly, coming over and placing a comforting hand on Jay's shoulder. The blue ninja let out an odd grunt that Nya will take as a stifled snort.

"Nothing." Jay breaths, averting his eyes and turning back to the training equipment. Nya grabs his arm, stopping Jay's retreat. He looks back at the water ninja with uncharacteristic hollow eyes. Nya breaths out a sad sigh. It's the same reason Kai's currently shut up in the bunk room. It's the same reason Zane and Pixal have been trying to think up a plan for the last hour. It's the same reason Cole hasn't left little sensei Wu's side. And it's the same reason Lloyd's gone.

"Listen, Jay. I'm angry too. And when I see her I'm going to give her a piece of my mind. But now's not the time to pull a Kai or Lloyd on me and train until you pass out. That's not going to help us stop her."

Jay's silence is worse than anything Nya can think of at the moment. Well. Maybe not the _worst_ thing she can think of. _Currently_ the worst thing she can think of is whether or not Lloyd is shut up in cage no. 50. But Nya has - very, _very_ little - faith that after all Liv's done, her caring about Lloyd's overall well being wasn't _all_ a lie. But Nya is also repressing the fact that she really doesn't know Liv like she used to. And under the light of recent events, Nya isn't putting t_oo much _hope in Liv's morals.

"Jay… Come on, you've gotta say something!" Nya pushes, shaking his arm a bit.

"It's nothing, Nya! It's not like she betrayed me or anything! It's not like she _openly announced _her alliance with the sons of _freaking_ Garmadon!" Jay rants, throwing his hands up in exasperation. And Nya is briefly pleased that she's managed to spark Jay's rant. At least he's not brooding in silence like the others.

"-And we trusted her! We_ trusted her for so long, _and I _get _that she hates her powers and that she hates not knowing what she can do and I know that she hates _herself _\- but - but-" Jay sighs, running a hand through his curls. Nya huffs, pulling him into a tight embrace. She knows exactly how Jay's feeling right now. Having been the first person on the team to really talk with Lloyd when he first arrived on the bounty, she knows what Jay's feeling. Watching Liv side with the Sons of Garmadon. She felt the same way when Morro possessed Lloyd and forced him to fight against his family. But - there's a _pristine distinction_ between being forced and choosing.

Liv _chose_ to fight against them.

Everyone knows that Jay and Liv had… A connection. Kinda like Kai and Lloyd. Jay and Liv just seemed to - to click with each other. _"Kai can't adopt all the stray, homeless kids they manage to snatch off the streets of ninjago."_ Jay had told her. So, Jay decided to stick with Liv. It was never a dull moment with those two. They were either talking non stop or eating ice cream long into the night.

(Even though Jay will be forever miffed that Liv sided with team chocolate ice cream).

"I know you two were close. But we've gotta stick together now so we can catch her. Okay? Now's not the time to go and distance yourself, Jay. That's the last thing we need right now." Nya says, letting go of Jay and opting for shaking his shoulders again. Jay nods slightly, but there's a determined spark in his eyes. Nya smiles.

"Good. Now let's go round up the others." Nya continues, pecking Jay on the cheek and striding out of the training room.

* * *

When Lloyd wakes up, he's somewhat pleased to find that his hands haven't been tied up. Lloyd slowly tests his legs, and is further pleased to see that they're not tied up, either. And then his heart does this little jump thing when he sees that he's alone.

Absolutely nobody guarding him whatsoever.

So - after dubbing this his new record for escaping a kidnapping - Lloyd decides to make a break for it. He shoots up like that coca-cola and mentos rocket him and the guys made that one time and took off through the jungle.

He hears her before he sees her. And being the trained ninja that he is, Lloyd turns and delivers a swift back kick on his twin. Liv let out an "oof" before neatly front flipping over Lloyd. The two stare at each other for what seems like an eternity before Liv finally speaks.

"C'mon. That hurt." She says, bluntly.

"Pay back for that gut kick on the dragons." Lloyd scoffs, squaring his shoulders. Liv winces at the mention, and Lloyd takes pride in her brief displeasure. He fires a ball of green energy at her before breaking into a sprint.

Sadly, Lloyd runs into a purple wall moments later, falling hard on his bottom with the beginnings of a headache forming. Liv is standing over him, a sad smile on her face. With a wave of her hand, the two were enclosed in a purple square. The violet walls crackling with dark energy. Lloyd blinks blearily up at Liv, then locks his legs around her and forces her to the ground. Using this to his advantage, Lloyd springs to his feet, launching himself at Liv, but she rolls out of the way and charges up a sphere of dark energy. Lloyd forms an orb of green energy in turn, vaguely aware of the faint gold hues. The twins slowly circle each other, both wearily eyeing the purple barriers around them.

"Please stop now, Lloyd. Before you do something you'll regret." Liv warns.

"Yeah, you see? No. Trusting _liars like you_ got me into this situation. Now i'm getting myself out of it!" Lloyd yells, running at Liv and chucking the two orbs at her, Liv sends her own orbs to counter Lloyds, but he sweeps her legs out from under her and she falls again.

Something flashes in Livs eyes as she stands, raising her hand and shooting a violent beam of dark energy at Lloyd, on instinct, he shoots his own beam, and the two jets of energy collide like the crack of thunder. Liv keeps her beam steady and strong, slowly stepping towards Lloyd as she does. Lloyd's stream of energy dwindles only for a second before he's walking too. The two twins are dangerously close now, and Liv can see the exhaustion in Lloyd's determined expression. So she reaches into her gi's pocket ever so slowly, and-

Lloyd's beam abruptly cuts off as Liv slaps the vengestone band on his left arm, then faster than Lloyd thought possible, she kicks him to the ground as her beam of energy slams into the barrier behind him. The beam destroys the wall on contact, taking the rest of the walls with it. The barrier goes down in a sparkling mist, and Lloyd tears his gaze away before he finds the display beautiful.

Liv says nothing as she - far more careful than Lloyd would've thought - grabs his right arm and drags him to his feet.

"vengstone, huh? Low blow." He taunts, rubbing at the band on his arm.

His twin doesn't reply for a while, and they're just about at the sons of garmadon's little camp before she finally does. But the answer is so soft Lloyd barely catches it.

"There were other ways I could've re-captured you. I chose the one that would hurt less." The sentence gives him pause for a beat, but then they are surrounded by jeering SoGs and Lloyd's face burns despite himself. Some of the gangsters throw stones or sticks at him as he passes, and - to Lloyd's surprise - Liv takes her hands from Lloyds arms and forms a wide shield on either side of them as they walk, shooting dangerous glares at the bikers.

She led them towards a small little tent, and, without hesitation, Liv pushes the flap open and barges in like she owns the place. It only takes Lloyd a second to find out why. Inside the tent were The Quiet One, Mr. E., UltraViolet, and Killow. UltraViolet cackled, pointing her sai at him, Liv eyes the deranged woman wearily before turning towards The Quiet One.

"Took you long enough." Harumi says, she waves Tempest over, gesturing at a map spread out on the table. "So, now that we're all here, here's the plan." The room dissolves into chatter about The SoGs plans to resurrect Garmadon, ironing out all the lumps. And Lloyd is infuriated by the fact that they've planned this out so thoroughly. Liv keeps side eyeing him throughout the whole thing, which is starting to grate Lloyds nerves. He doesn't want to even look at her.

He, instead, decides to let his emerald eyes search the tent. He can see tons of loose scrolls and pens scattered about. Cantines of water and small crates of food. Lloyd searches the tent harder, desperately scanning with his eyes.

Finally, finally, like, a _ridiculously _long time later, Lloyd spots a tattered sack stashed away in the back of the tent. He slowly inches towards the sack, eyes trained on the group of people in front of him, he slowly slides around the back walls. Lloyd, however, does feel slightly anxious. If he does reach the sack, he can't really just snatch it and bolt like he wants to.

He cant blast his way out, either. Or fly out on his totally kick ass energy dragon like he wants too.

Thanks to _somebody._

And Lloyds fingertips just barely scrach the fabric of the bag when a small, silver dagger with a dark blue leather hilt was thrown at him. Lloyd flinches back, painfully aware of all the eyes in the room on him. The Quiet One lowers her hand on the end of a throw, her sea green eyes slowly turning towards him.

"Did you really think it'd be that easy?" Harumi laughs, looking at Lloyd like he's some lost puppy. Lloyd stays silent, refusing to give Harumi the satisfaction of a response. Harumi just rolls her eyes and turns to Liv.

"Hey, can you go tell rest of the gang to pack up? We're heading out in five."

Liv nods, eyeing the group wearily. Harumi flashes her a reassuring smile, Liv grins back before she disappears through the tent's flap. Once she's gone, Harumi's expression morphs into one of disgust as she stares down on Lloyd.

"The only reason you're not knocked out somewhere or chained to a tree right now is because of her." Harumi says, deathly calm as she gestures towards the exit of the tent. "However, my friendship with your sister _will not _stop me from achieving my goals and bringing you ninja to your _knees_. If it were up to me or anyone else here - you'd already be _dead_. So I suggest that you stop pushing your luck." Then Harumi turns on her heel and strides from the tent, the rest of her high ranking thugs follow The Quiet One out the tent, but not before Killow scopes up the sack that contained the three Oni masks.

How did he _ever_ fall for her?

* * *

So once Nya manages to drag Kai from the bunk room and Jay's done destroying the training equipment, she calls a meeting on the bridge so they can think up an actual plan besides _"just-blow-up-the-sons-of- garmadons-camp-and-knife-Harumi." _Because sadly everyone is on board with _that_ particular plan and Nya is trying to convince herself that she's not - definitely not - like, that plan has never crossed her mind even _once_ in the past couple of hours - on board with that plan once so ever.

So after a long while of silent thinking and discussion, the ninja come up with a somewhat thorough plan.

"Okay, Zane. You're sure that the bounty will hold up at this speed?" Nya asks, holding up the small white board in her hands with the details of their game plan.

"Yes. Pixal checked the systems and the bounty should be able to maintain high speeds." Zane says, typing in the final commands.

"So? What are we waiting for? Let's go already!" Kai says, sharply. Nya sighs, rubbing her temples and patting Zane's shoulder, giving him a thumbs up. The nindroid nods to Pixal, who powers up the thrusters and sets the coordinates for the Ninjago city police department.

The bounty gives a start, starting off slow then speeding up, soon they were speeding through the skies, instead of sticking with his friends on the bridge, Kai decides to head back to the bunk room. Plopping down on his bunk and staring up at the ceiling above him.

One, very dramatic sigh later, Kai reaches an arm up and traces the little groves in the wood above him. Trying desperately to keep his mind off of certain people when Jay strides in. Kai popes his head over the edge of his bed and peers down on Jay with tired eyes.

"Hey, Jay." Kai says, propping his head up in his hands.

"Hi, Kai." Jay breathes, awkward silence falls on the two like a wet blanket. Both trying to think of a way to break it. "How long do you think it'll take to get back to the city?" Jay asks after a bit. Kai moves into a sitting position, back against the wall.

"I dunno. Soon?" Kai says, kicking his feet over his bed. He looks at Jay, taking in his dull eyes. Kai's not really one for sappy, heartfelt talks - sue him. He's got a reputation to keep - but seeing Jay's hollow eyes is really starting to irk him. He knows exactly why Jay's so out of it. It's the same reason they all are.

"You know we're gonna stop them, right?" Kai sighs, that's as sappy as he's gonna get.

Jay laughs, almost breathlessly as he swings his feet so they're up against the ceiling. It's almost enough to lighten Kai's mood. Seeing Jay lying flat on his back on his top bunk with his feet pressed up against the ceiling.

"Pff - I know we're _going_ to catch her. I'm more worried about what will happen when we _do_ catch her." Jay replies, on a sorta defeated huff, which is a little too much emotion for Kai, but he nods in understanding nonetheless.

He's about to say something when Pixal comes in, a small half grin on her face. "We are almost at the police station, get ready." Jay and Kai shoot from their bed and all but stumble into the bridge, Pixal follows after them, shaking her head in amusement.

The ninja gathers in the bridge one last time, going over the plan before filing out of the bridge, decked out in full ninja gear. Pixal lands the bounty above the police station before joining the ninja on the deck. The ninja look at each other, flashing cocky smirks and reassuring grins all around as they leap from the flying ship.

* * *

Now, the police commissioner likes to think he's a patient guy. After all, it takes an extreme amount of patience to paint his large wooden model of a fisherman's boat. The commissioner takes a lot of pride in his work. Each stroke of the brush brings him closer to his finished product. Most of his officers see his project as a waste of time, but the commissioner couldn't care less. He can't fret over his city 24/7. That's the ninjas job. The police just help with low level crime and show up when the ninja need them.

Why waste their time and men trying to fend off the overlord or giant snakes or ghosts when you've got your own team of ninja to take care of all that stuff for you?

The commissioner dips his paintbrush into the small cup of water sitting on his desk, he then pulls the brush from the water and brushes it on the rims of the cup before tapping the paintbrush into the turquoise paint. The commissioner then places the brush on his boat and slowly drags the paintbrush across the boat's side, just a few more strokes in turquoise, the he can move onto then royale blues and then he'll be-

"We need the commissioner!"

His focus falters, and the smooth, straight line that he'd been painting onto his fisherman's boat was ruined, his fingers slipping - thank the FSM he pulls his hand away so he didn't blend the turquoise paint into the white of the little window.

"He's not taking any visitors." Says his secretary, somewhat calmly. The commissioner looks up from his extremely important work, scowling at his closed door.

"But this is important!" Argues a firm, but worried voice.

"All of his work is important!" Counters his secretary, exasperated.

"Don't make me zap you!" Threatens a squeaky voiced person, and the commissioner hears his secretary stutter and fall, he takes a wild guess of who has deemed it time to pay him a visit.

A large group of color coded ninja, silver haired samurai, and - a baby? That's a new one. Storm into the commissioner's office, a sort of panicked tension leaking off of the ninja as they began to bombard the poor commissioner with demands and safety measures for whatever new crisis Ninjago city is about to face.

"Commissioner!"

"Good to see you."

"There's no time to lose."

"Sorry to barge in but it's really urgent."

"We have to vacate the city!"

"We need weapons, lots and lots of weapons!"

The commissioner blinked at the group, trying to make sense of everything they'd just told him. He shakes his head emphatically, waving his hands around. "Whoa whoa whoa. One at a time. Just shoot it to me straight." The commissioner says, standing from his desk. "What's gonna do me in?"

The silver haired samurai steps into view, confusion clear in her expression. "Pardon? Do you in?" She asks.

The commissioner sighs, walking over to his wall of past police commissioners. "Every time something bad happens to the city, the first thing they do is can the police commissioner. So what is it this time?" The commissioner turns to face the ninja. "Subterranean mutant insects? Indomitable flesh-eating zombies? A Pirate genie?"

The last suggestion feels a bit odd. But he shrugs off the feeling. The ninja look on in confusion, curious eyes skirting around the group. The name felt oddly familiar to them, too.

"Yes, why not? Anything can happen in this crazy town." Explains the commissioner. All though that fact is slightly annoying. And - not for the first time - the commissioner wonders what leading a police station in a normal town would be like.

Jay and Nya share a knowing glance overlooked by the others. Aware that indeed, anything, and they mean absolutely anything, can happen in their crazy city. They're honestly not surprised anymore. But a crazy biker gang is definitely on their list of the unexpected. An ever growing list, sadly.

"Don't be ridiculous, it's the Sons of Garmadon." Jay says, slightly amused. Ridiculous is a word he would use to describe his run in with a pirate genie. Along with terrible and literally unspeakable and intense and crummy and-

"They have Lloyd." Cole speaks up, deathly serious, they also have someone else. Someone that is very important to the ninja. But they don't know if that was a good or bad thing. The ninja didn't know if they really wanted her back.

"And the three Oni masks!" Zane adds, popping out from behind Kai.

"The Quiet One and Tempest-" The fire ninja starts.

"Who are Harumi and Liv!" Nya interrupts, unable to keep that secret in. She knows full well that she's probably just exposed Liv, but she can't bring herself to care anymore.

"Are going to resurrect the evil spirit of Lord Garmadon, and-!" Kai states, slightly annoyed that Nya cut him off. And angry at the mention of Tempest.

The commissioner once again cuts off the ninjas rambling, waving his hand to silence them. "Just stop! The princess is behind all of this?" He asks with raised eyebrows. The ninja have never been anything but truthful, but what they're telling him now can't possibly be right…

Right?

"And Liv!" The lightning ninja says, a flicker of sadness crosses his expression, but it's steeled into determination. The commissioner doesn't know who, exactly, 'Liv' is. But he guesses he'll find out sooner or later.

"Which is why we need you behind us." Cole says, shifting the child on his hips.

"Along with everyone on your force." Nya adds, leaning over Cole.

The police commissioner sighs, before placing his hands on his hips. "I'm not ready to lose my city just yet." He steps over to his telephone, picking up the receiver and dialing the mayor's office. "Person on the other end of this phone! Get me the mayor." The commissioner demands. After a beat, his confidence dwindles. "Yes, I'll hold."

Jay almost laughs, if the circumstances were different. He would have laughed if so much wasn't on the line. He would've laughed if the price of failure wasn't so high. He can't laugh right now. Because they have to stay strong. Jay can't let his emotions get the better of him, no matter how hard the lightning strikes inside him. No matter how loud the thunder booms within him. He's not going to just _stop_ Tempest.

He's going to _save_ her.

* * *

They arrive in Ninjago city's outskirts not long after they left the jungle. Harumi jumps off the elemental dragon without hesitation. Complaining about how she can see the destiny's bounty in the distance and how behind schedule they are.

Liv says a few comforts about how it doesn't matter and how they've still got the upper hand. And Lloyd slowly inches off the back of her dragon. He debates the wisdom in making a run for it while they're distracted, but a few more SoGs show up on they're loud Motorcycles, along with Ultra Violet, Killow, and Mr. E, and Lloyd thinks better of it.

Lloyd slips off the dragon, wincing as spikes of pain shoot through his ankle. Liv seems to sense his discomfort, and turns back towards him. Lloyd tries to hide the grimace as Liv's emerald eyes scan him, she gives him a quizzical look before turning back to face Harumi. Her elemental dragon dissipates in a flurry of violet sparks.

The two girls talk and chuckle a bit as they sneak swiftly into the city. Soon Lloyd's joining them as a few bikers roughly push him forward. With a whistle, a dozen bikers emerge from an alley, all on motorcycles. The new bikers slip off of their bikes, allowing Harumi to slip onto one and Liv on another. The bikeless bikers hop onto other gangsters' motorcycles, while Lloyd is forced onto Liv's bike. He struggles a bit on the bike, but one flash of Tempest's eyes keeps him still.

Engines revving, the Sons of Garmadon set off towards the destroyed jade palace. The ride there was silent. Partially because no conversation could make it past the rushing winds, partially because neither Lloyd nor Liv knows what to say to each other.

_Correction_. Lloyd has thousands of words he wants to scream at his twin, but for some reason, the words couldn't make it past his lips. Liv's blond hair flows neatly in the wind, and Lloyd leans out of it's path. He briefly wonders when Liv learned to ride a motorcycle, but then he realizes that she's shaking like a leaf, gripping the handles with white knuckles and her body is extremely tense. Lloyd thinks that Liv's tenseness probably isn't a good thing while riding a motorcycle.

Oh well.

He leans further out from behind Liv, just testing to see what she'd do. Her head swivels from the road to look behind her, but the bike wobbles precariously and she quickly turns her focus back on the roads she's zooming down. Lloyd's hair blows in the wind, and he stupidly moves a hand from where it's wrapped around Liv's waist to swipe the hair from his eyes.

But the bike takes a hard left and Lloyd loses his balance on the motorcycle. With a yelp, he slips from the bike, Liv gives a strangled shriek and takes a hand off the handles to grab him. Sadly Liv isn't skilled like the other bikers she's hanging around, and Harumi stifles a curse as Livs bike goes down.

Lloyd hopes that the crash will attract some sort of attention from the citizens walking around the city, maybe he can sneak away in the confusion. But at the last second, Liv encases him in a small little ball of dark energy, and he bounces in the ball as it rolls to a stop. His hopes of escape were thrown to the wind. Harumi diverts the other bikers away from the crash, and Lloyd doesn't know if he should be grateful or upset that they're aren't any cars on the road they're on. And the people that were walking around quickly fled the scene, yelling in panic.

_At least the citizens are safe,_ Lloyd thinks, somewhat bitterly.

Liv throws another ball of dark energy at the motorcycle, trapping it just like Lloyd. And the part of Lloyd that's the responsible ninja leader he is, is impressed at her awareness of damage control. Liv skids across the asphalt before she creates a small, round sled like thing underneath her. Stopping her fall.

Lloyd tells himself he's not impressed by Livs control and knowledge of how to use her powers.

Harumi get's off her bike and runs towards Liv, who's shakily getting up. Lloyd's too far to hear them, but he see's Harumi help dust Liv off and help her to her feet. Liv's not as banged up as Lloyd had thought. Not that he cares. Aside from the scrapes that run across her right cheek and the small one over her right eye that Harumi is fussing over. The one on her eyes looks vaguely like a smaller version of Kai's, but Lloyd dismisses the familiarity almost desperately.

Tempest and The Quiet One walk over to Lloyd, who's sitting cross legged in his little ball. With a wave of her hand, the ball of dark energy vanishes, and there's a soft thud of the motorcycle hitting the ground and the shuffle of thugs who ran to put it upright.

Harumi glares at Lloyd, and he glares back. Liv looks into the sun for a full minute before just huffing in slight annoyance. "You're riding with Harumi this time around." Liv states, caressing the scrape on her eye and walking away. Harumi looks after her for a beat before turning on Lloyd. Any traces of her sweet princess face gone as she stares down on Lloyd with hatred.

"You're on very thin ice." Is all Harumi says as she hauls Lloyd to his feet. Walking over to her bike. She and Liv hop back onto their bikes, Livs slightly tattered. The other SoG ride behind them as the Jade palace comes into view.

* * *

"Commissioner, there's been a motorcycle crash near third and north. Should we send help?" Asks the commissioner's secretary, standing in the doorway of his bosses office. The occupants of the room turn towards the secretary.

"Ah, um, how many?" Asks the commissioner, rubbing his temples. One thing after another…

"Only one bike crashed, but there was a large group, sir."

The commissioner thought for a moment, the ninja were silent. Patiently waiting to continue their plans to stop the Sons of Garmadon. He could send a few men to scope out the crash. But if only one bike crashed does he really need to send out his men?

"How long ago was the crash? Was there a call?" The commissioner says.

"Fifteen minutes ago, and no. There was no call. We picked it up on the monitors, sir."

"Ah, well. Let's check the tapes before we send in our men." The commissioner says. They'll assess the damage from the cameras and see if the police are needed, he can't really afford to waste the time if the crash was minor. He could send in an ambulance, if they're needed.

The secretary nods, still standing in the doorway. He eyes the group off to the side, eyes widening at the sight of the ninja and samurai X. The secretary gave a sheepish wave, hoping that at least one of the ninja would return it. The ice ninja smiles softly at him, waving back at the secretary before turning back to the quiet conversation he was having with the earth ninja.

The commissioner stares at the security tape on his screen incredulously. Rewinding it over and over. He clears his throat, drawing the attention back onto him. "Ninja, you might want to see this." He says. The protectors of the city shuffled over towards the monitor curiously. The commissioner rewinds the tapes one last time for the Ninja and Samurai X.

The screen has no color and the image is a little grainy, but it still shows a large group of bikers zooming through the streets, the camera was always changing to keep up with the bikers. Out of nowhere, one of the bikes went down, and the ninja were starting to question why, exactly, this involved them when suddenly, a ball of some sorts was shot from one of the bikers that went down in the crash. The ball enveloped the other person that was on the bike, protecting them before they hit the ground. The person then sent another ball at the bike, no shield was formed for the person themselves, instead they tumbled a bit before coming to a stop.

A third person ran from their bike and towards the fallen biker, helping them up. The two then walked over to the person in a ball, the ninja assumed that words were exchanged between the three before the person who'd shot the orbs walks away and the third person reaches for the second on the ground, hauling them up and briskly walking towards the rest of the biker gang. The group then set off again, and the camera view switched one last time to show the group heading towards the jade palace.

The monitor stops, leaving the ninja in stunned silence. The commissioner looks towards the ninja. "Can any of you explain _that_?" He asks, gesturing towards the screen. The ninja and samurai look at one another, a silent conversation in their eyes.

"May I?" Zane asks, moving towards the monitor. The commissioner nods, stepping aside for the nindroid. Zane types away on the monitor, and soon enough, he's pulled up one identification profile on the screen. The ninja crowded even closer to see the picture, the commissioner gasps at the photo while the ninja glare at the photo of the Jade princess. Harumi.

"If that's Harumi, then that group of bikers must've been the Sons of Garmadon!" Cole exclaims, his team nods in agreement.

"The person on the motorcycle, the one that made those protection shields or whatever must've been Lloyd!" Kai says, a scowl on his face. Why would he save Liv? She must've been the one in the ball, right?

Jay shook his head at Kai. "Zane, can you pull up a clearer version of the tape?" The nindroid nods, once again in front of the monitor. The commissioner stood back, letting the ninja take over. He walks over to his secretary, who's still waiting in the doorway.

"...I don't think we'll need to send any help." He says, the secretary nods, saluting the commissioner before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. The ninja watch the monitor again, this time without the grainy image.

"See? Look, the person who ran off towards the person who crashed is obviously Harumi!" Nya says, pointing at the small chopsticks in Harumi's bun. "But that doesn't make sense. Why would Harumi help Lloyd up?"

"That's because that's Liv! Look, the person Harumi's helping up is Liv. So that means Lloyd is the person in the ball." Cole says, pointing at Liv's long blond hair on the monitor.

"At least she's not as heartless as we thought." Jay says somewhat pleased. Nya smiles to herself. Maybe not everything Liv told them was a lie…

"Yeah, well, she's still our enemy. So we still gotta bring her in." Kai breathes. The team nods. Getting back on track.

"Well, at least we know where the Sons of Garmadon are heading." Pixal steps out from behind Zane, she presses a few buttons on the monitor, pulling the security tape backup and playing the part that shows the SoG heading towards the Jade palace.

"Commissioner, we're going to need your forces to meet us at the Jade Palace of Ninjago."

* * *

**So yeah. Liv does still care for Lloyd and is going to try not to treat him like some random prisoner. Other people...not so much. In case anyone was wondering, the "bunk room" is just the ninjas room. I got tired of calling it "the ninjas room" lol.**

**A lot went down in this chapter and I wanted to make sure I milked this chapter for all it was worth. I wanted to make sure I wrote the ninjas reaction to Liv right. Since Jay knows Liv best, I thought it was good to give him a deeper reaction. Next chapter will be an even longer one as I attempt to try and get Garmadons resurrection into one chapter. Wish me luck.**

**Next time: The ninja have a plan to stop the Sons of Garmadon, save Lloyd, and put the Quiet One where she belongs. All while the ties between Livs powers and her Oni blood make themselves known...**


	15. Family is forgiveness

**It takes two**

**Chapter 15**

**Family is forgiveness**

**PrincePacman47: Yes, Misako is in for a **_**lovely**_** surprise when she sees Liv with the SoG. And an even bigger surprise when she sees that Lloyd knows Liv. Especially when Liv was dead set on keeping her identity secret. I also hope Liv is able to do the right thing. Because these next few chapters will be full of hard choices. The fallout of Garmadons resurrection will be a lot more than you think...**

**Throwbacks to chapter two! If anyone remembers what happened in that chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Ninjago. Or the Harry Potter line from deathly hallows. Guys I own nothing but my OC.**

* * *

The last thing any mother wants to see is their child in danger. Misako has long since accepted that her child will _never_ be out of harm's way. That's just who her son is. That's just the way her family is. Sacrificing themselves for the good of the people, laying their lives on the line for the city, taking blades meant for others.

Just because Misako accepted it doesn't mean she likes it.

Misako would love to just settle down on a beach somewhere. Away from all the stress and trouble that is Ninjago city. But if there's anything Misako's learnt in all her years; it's that trouble _always_ seems to find her family

The archaeologist was roughly shoved into a cage, stumbling into the bars and scowling at the thug. The gangster flashed her a devious smirk, slamming the cage door with unnecessary force. Misako scoffed, shaking the bars of her prison. Now she knows why Lloyd hates these things so much.

Misako sighed thinking of her son. She'd left him for a year. She left him again. How much had he grown since then? The older woman sighed, fiddling with her greying hair. Misako's thoughts drifted towards her daughter. Had she finally told Lloyd? Or was she still hiding in the shadows? Living a lie?

Little did Misako know that her daughter was closer than she thought. In the shadows she was, but not hidden. Liv and Harumi walked side by side, talking quietly. Lloyd walked behind them, though he would much rather lie down on the stairs that _just won't end_ and die.

His mind was revolving around the motorcycle crash. It should've surely alerted _somebody_. But for as much as Lloyd wanted to get as far away from his evil sister and backstabbing crush - He sighed. As much as he wanted to get out, he couldn't stop thinking about the couple times Liv was gentle with him. And he began to think about her past. Sure he'd never managed to get Jay to tell him, and he never had much time to ask Liv herself… He found himself thinking about what Liv (Or tempest, whatever), said to him in the jungle.

"_I'm done worrying about what you'll think of me or my powers."_

"_Not everyone was lucky enough to have powers they're not afraid of."_

Lloyd thought hard on the words. Sure they hurt him in the moment, but looking back on them, he learned more about his sister through them._ "A lot of things happened with her powers. She's scared of herself and thinks you should be, too."_ Kai's words rang in Lloyds mind. Coming back along with everything Liv ever told him. Piecing together a puzzle of the past. The puzzle of Liv's past.

Lloyd began to understand Liv a little more. Why she was so shut off, why she never used her powers, why she stayed away from him. A picture formed in his head, and he was a little less ticked off at his twin. But even if Lloyd does have a new understanding of her past, he still doesn't know why she went with the sons of garmadon. There's a whole other side of the puzzle he's trying to solve. But at least someone turned on the light.

And, Lloyd guesses he has a _lot_ of time on his hands.

The green ninja was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice that Liv and Harumi were no longer in front of him. The two thugs on either side of him we're leading him into a room. Lloyd panicked slightly at the lack of his twin. At least when she was around the thugs were somewhat in line.

The door to the room swung open and Lloyd was roughly pushed inside. The room was a nice, comfortable size. It looked no bigger than Liv's apartment. Inside the room was Liv herself, she was brushing her long blonde hair. The motion was slow and calm, almost like Liv was deep in thought.

"Eh, Tempest!" Liv whirled around at her name, looking from Lloyd to the thugs. "Brought him to ya, The Quiet One thought ya'd like 'em in here." Said the biker to Lloyd's right. Liv nodded, shooing the guards away. Lloyd slowly stepped into the room.

"You can sit...if you want." Liv said, a bit awkwardly. Lloyd sat in one of the arm chairs, trying to get comfortable with his hands bound behind him. Harumi had been less kind after the bike crash, saying that the vengestone band wasn't enough. Liv came over and undid the binds, quickly sitting back on the bed.

The two twins sat in silence, Liv slowly combing her hair, and Lloyd rubbing his raw wrists. "So-oo…" Lloyd started, Liv looked up, meeting him with an unreadable expression. Lloyd had no idea how to approach the subject he wanted to. "I just -"

"Wanted to know why I'm with them." Liv said, on a sorta defeated sigh. Lloyd nodded.

"Guess that twin telepathy is a thing." He said, trying to spark conversation.

Liv sighed, very heavily. She's sick of answering his questions. No matter how relevant they may be. Her head's been_ pounding_ ever since they left the jungle. Liv would've just pegged it as a part of the bike crash, but it started before she even touched the bike.

"I'm telling you for the last time that I don't regret doing it." Liv whispered, looking at Lloyd with a tired expression. "I'm with the sons of garmadon because Harumi is trying to bring back dad! I know that you've accepted that he's gone but I haven't! I spent _years _being angry at him! And then he was gone and I never got to say goodbye!" Liv yelled, her eyes flashed, and Liv took a breath, calming herself down. Yelling and using her powers were _not_ helping her headache. Using her powers felt like her brain was on _fire_. Lloyd sat in stunned silence. More and more pieces clicked into place.

Liv was never in this because she was evil and liked seeing others suffer (Unlike a _certain_ blonde haired princess). Lloyd thought, bitterly. Liv just wanted to see their father. And apologize? For what Liv wanted to apologize for, Lloyd had no clue. A little bit more of his anger slipped away.

"Sorry, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled, sorry." Liv said, tying off her braid and standing up. Lloyd stood too, the two stared at each other for a beat, before Lloyd flashed Liv a small smile. Liv looked shocked, she had thought Lloyd would forever resent her…

"Stop apologizing for what _doesn't_ matter and start apologizing for what _does_." Lloyd chastised, making sure to gesture around the room they were in, the people who surrounded them. Liv looked somewhat sheepish.

"I - I _can't_, Lloyd. I _won't._ I have to make sure he knows that I'm sorry. I have to make sure dad knows that I don't hate him." Liv said, her voice breaking slightly. She went to leave, but Lloyd grabbed her arm. He doesn't feel the need to drop kick his twin anymore, and he wants to know the full story. He doesn't want to be left in the dark. If Livs siding with the enemy he needs to know why.

"Liv, I need you to tell me why apologizing to dad is so important. I need to know why you're with the Sons of Garmadon. I need to know so I can forgive you!" He said, looking at Liv with pleading eyes. Liv looked like she was about to shake her head no. But closed her eyes and sat back on the bed. Lloyd sat next to her as Liv gathered her thoughts.

"I - I grew up with dad in the underworld. When I unlocked my powers dad wanted me to help him take over ninjago, tip the scales of balance. In short he had me _destroy a village._ He lied to me to fuel my anger. Fuel my fear." Liv looked to Lloyd, there were tears in her eyes and Lloyd pulled her into a light embrace. "It was _awful_. There was so much destruction, Lloyd! And _I_ did it!_ I caused all that destruction_… And I blamed it on _dad_. I couldn't handle the fact that I did it so I blamed him. He didn't deserve my anger, my resentment, my _hate…_" Liv said, pulling away from Lloyd and wiping her eyes. Lloyd understands now why Liv was scared of herself and her powers. Suddenly everything made sense. Liv's need to apologize, her hesitance over her powers, her quietness.

Lloyd couldn't be mad at his twin anymore. After all, if he had gone through what she did, he probably would do the same things she's doing right now. But she shouldn't have to feel like _she's_ the one who has to apologize. And if anything, their _father_ should be the one to apologize.

But on the other hand… Liv's working with the _enemy_. Now she's the enemy. Unless she turns, or had been playing both sides, then he'll have no choice but to stop her.

Liv wipes at her eyes, laughing wetly and standing up. Lloyd stood with her, debating whether he should stay or follow. Liv motioned for him to stay, and he sat back down.

"I gotta go talk with Harumi. Don't move, please." She said before leaving the room. Lloyd seriously considered bolting right then and there, but figured that his friends were coming. They wouldn't leave him. He needed to wait just a bit longer. Because he has no idea where he is besides the fact that he's in the palace.

(And he _still _had on this stupid vengestone band).

Lloyd sighed. Harumi's name used to fill him with the strangest butterflies. It used to make his heart melt into a warm, gooey mess. The sight of her smile used to make his brain shut down. Used to make him want to do anything to keep that smile on her face. The sound of her laugh used to make him feel like he was listening to an elegant song. Used to make him want to listen to it all day.

Now Harumi's name fills him with anger and bitterness. Now her smile makes him want to look away. Now her laugh sounds like a shattering chandelier. There was no joy in her name, no radiance to her smile, no music in her laugh.

And Lloyd wanted to slam his head into a wall because he _still_ loved her.

The door to Liv's room swung open, startling the green ninja. In the doorway stood The Quiet One. But Harumi's attire had changed. Instead of her hair being in a loose bun held by chopsticks, it was let down. Her bangs just slightly covering her pristine eyebrows. She was no longer wearing a green jumpsuit, but a black one with dark blue sashes. On the sashes were tiny little spikes. And covering her face was eerie red face paint. Lloyd wondered if Liv had changed her look, too.

Harumi just glared at him, and Lloyd did his best not to flinch. The Quiet One strode into the room and hauled Lloyd to his feet. Outside the room were another two SoGs and Killow. Harumi walked in front of Lloyd while the two thugs stood on either side of him. Killow stood behind him.

Lloyd scoffed. He apparently needed an escort everywhere. It's not like he had anywhere to go. Liv still hadn't taken off the vengestone band. Lloyd doubted she would anytime soon. He looked around briefly for Liv. Didn't she say she was going to talk to the Quiet One?

Harumi began to sing softly, the words echoing around the stairwell they were on. Lloyd thinks the song is somewhat creepy. He'd thought it was just a cute little lullabye, but now, just creepy. And this rickety stairwell isn't helping at all. Who would _willingly_ sing about spiders and death? Lloyd wouldn't be surprised if she was leading him to his death.

He began to slow down, trying to put as much space between him and wherever he was being taken. But Killow chuckled deeply and shoved Lloyd forwards. The green ninja stumbled, a small grunt escaping his lips. He turned his head to scowl at the man, but Killow just smirked.

And then they were plunged into silence again. Well, it wasn't really silence with Harumi's creepy singing - but Lloyd's trying to ignore that. And he guesses he really doesn't have to _stay_ quiet. It's not like they've gagged him or anything. He's free to speak his mind.

"So, this is your true face, without a mask. No wonder you covered it." Lloyd snarked, glaring at the back of Harumi's head.

"Bite your tongue, _Green ninja_." Harumi spat, whirling around. She's pretty sure that ninja wear masks, and she knows that Lloyd isn't who he pretends to be. If the rumors about tomorrow's tea are anything to believe, he really is just a little kid playing dress up. "The fight is all but over."

Lloyd struggled to a stop, scowling at Harumi. "Where are you taking me?" Lloyd asked

"Trapped in the palace of secrets all my life, it gave me time to make a few...alterations, you could say." Harumi said. It wasn't really an answer and Lloyd was getting tired of hearing her voice. Thank the FSM that they're almost out of this stairwell. "Yes, I destroyed the palace, but I was careful not to damage the Temple of Resurrection." Harumi continued, walking out into the afternoon sun.

_She really could've just started with that._ Lloyd thought, he wasn't in the mood to hear a monologue. The rest of his brain cells, the ones that were actually trying to get out of here, were busy planning an escape root. Temple of resurrection, this is where they're going to bring back his father. This is where the ninja have to be to stop this.

"The ninja have made it, Quiet one. They're in the city." Ultra Violet warned, Lloyd silently cheered. From the corner of his eye, Lloyd spotted a metal cage suspended in the air by a pulley system. A cold shiver ran down his spine. Always with the cages.

"What was that you said about the fight being over?" Lloyd said, struggling slightly against the thugs holding him. He knows he can take them on, he knows he can beat them in a fight. But he's terribly outnumbered, and Liv would no doubt catch him before he made it out of the temple.

"Let them come!" Harumi shouted, gaining the attention of several thugs. "If anyone tries to stop me...I always have my _insurance policy."_ She said, gesturing towards what Lloyd realized was another cage. In said cage was none other than Misako Garmadon. Lloyd's eyes widened, he hadn't seen his mother in a year! Has she been here this whole time? Lloyd pushed harder against the thugs, now seriously considering taking them on in a fight. If only just to get to his mother.

"Mom!" Lloyd yelled.

"Lloyd?" Misako gasped, the cage she was in jerked, swiftly rising into their air. "She's crazy. She wants to bring back your father!"

He figured out _that _much.

"I've been so looking forward to this...family reunion." Harumi said, softly. Walking to Lloyd's right side, he lunged at her again, trying to pull his arms free.

"Let her go! This is between us!" Lloyd argued. Yeah, this, and _so much more._ He'd once thought.

Harumi slowly turned her head to face him, her hair falling to the side. "No, Lloyd." She whispered, like she was talking to a dog. "There was never _anything_ between us!" Harumi said, shaking her head patronizingly. Lloyd looked down, the shattered remains of his heart cascading down like falling glass. Harumi came and held a gloved finger to his chin, forcing him to meet her eyes.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" _More than he'll admit._ "There's nothing more powerful than a blow to the heart." _For once, Harumi, your right. _"We found her after we tracked down young Wu." Harumi turned away to face Misako. "Helpful of her."

Harumi turned away from mother and son, striding back towards the entrance of the temple. "Prepare the ceremony. We begin at nightfall." And with that, Harumi walked away, her hair swinging softly.

"I won't let you get away with this." Lloyd called over his shoulder, turning just enough to see Harumi's shoulders shake with soft laughter. And he knows how cliché that sounds - give him a break, okay? Most of his brain cells (Along with his heart) Probably just died.

Ultra Violet laughed, turning towards Lloyd. "Or what? You'll cry?" She began to whimper mockingly, Lloyd turned away, hiding the tears he _was _shedding.

* * *

Harumi practically skipped down the stairs, giddy with pride. The look of heartbreak on Lloyd's face was enough to make Harumi feel like Christmas had come early. She was even happier when she walked into Liv's room, scrolls and the three Oni masks in hand.

Harumi's not dumb, and she knows that Liv won't be too happy with Lloyd being in a cage, and Harumi hasn't even told her about Misako, but Liv would just demand they be let out or something. And Harumi came to talk with a friend, not argue over what needs to be done.

"Hey." She greeted the elemental. Liv's head shot up from her journal, smiling.

"Hi." Liv replied, closing the journal. Harumi came in and plopped the masks and scrolls on the bed, Liv chuckled, picking up the mask of hatred and running a hand across it. The throbbing in her head intensified as she ran her fingers along the mask, but she just couldn't pull her hand away. Forcing her fingers to let go, Liv looked around at the stuff on her bed. "What's all this?"

"Stuff." Harumi grunted, sitting cross legged across from Liv. "For the ceremony."

Liv nodded, massaging her temples. "So, these are like - like Instruction manuals? _Five easy steps to a __perfect resurrection!"_ Liv said, waving her hands in front of her. Harumi laughed, swatting Liv with one of the scrolls.

"More or less." She said, opening the scroll and skimming the words. She wants the resurrection to be perfect. After all, perfection leads to no errors, and _errors_, would be the ninja. Liv followed suit and opened up a scroll to her left, reading the contents aloud softly. She looked up from the scroll, eyeing her friends' new get up.

"Nice outfit." Liv complimented. Harumi looked up from her scroll.

"Thanks." She said, looking at Liv's ninja gi. It was a nice gi. An elegant, black base color with a deep purple silk sash around her middle. The violet sash wrapped around her waist was perfect for holding Liv's daggers that she was so fond of. The silk sash also had jade green accents. Liv's gi had a short, black silk skirt that parted down the middle with black pants. The skirt also had violet and jade designs. Liv's gi had black sleeves that have the same violet fabric wrapped around her gloveless hands.

"Your gi's cool, too." Harumi said, Liv smiled, looking down at her gi.

"You think so? The other's gi's are bright and color-'' Liv started, subconsciously fiddling with her braided hair.

"Stop. Your gi is beautiful! You're clearly the only ninja who actually _knows _how to stay hidden. Unlike the others in their _bright green_ or _blue _Gi's." Harumi said, putting a little emphasis on the 'blue and green'. Liv laughed, she did have more experience in stealth than any of her fellow ninja buddies.

"Guess you're right." Liv said, smiling.

"Guess I am." Harumi sighed, picking her scroll back up and grinning. Liv picked her own scroll back up, focusing once more. Harumi glanced at Liv one last time. She knows she never told her about Lloyd or her mother, but she'll find out sooner or later.

* * *

Lloyd sat in his cramped cage, slowly tapping his foot on the bars. He'd been in here for hours by now. And he had been hoping that Liv would come and get him and their mother out. But she still hadn't come. The sun was dipping lower and lower behind the horizon, and the ceremony would be starting soon. And he can't get out of this stupid cage-!

"Lloyd." Misako called, leaning back on the bars of her own cage, facing Lloyd with her legs crossed.

"Yeah?" Lloyd said, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"I'm - I'm sorry I was gone so long." She whispered, just loud enough for Lloyd to hear.

"It's..." This is really going to turn into a night of apologizing. First Liv needs to apologize to their father, then their mother shows up after being gone for a _year_, next it's going to be Kai. Lloyd's _betting_ on it. It's going to be Kai, and he's going to go on and on about how he should've protected him or how this is Liv's fault. Which… Maybe it kind of is? Lloyd doesn't know.

But he will stop her, if it comes to that. She'll either change or face the consequences.

"It's fine." Lloyd sighed, not really feeling up to telling his mother that it's not.

Misako was quiet. Lloyd thought back to the day his mother told him she was leaving. It wasn't even an hour after Wu had disappeared, that his mother was telling him she was going to find him.

But - something else happened that day. He remembers some_one_ else being there. "M-Mom?" Lloyd whispered.

"Yes, Lloyd." Misako said.

"...Who - who was in the temple? The day you said you were going to look for Sensei?"

Misako paused, not wanting to answer. She promised not to say, she promised her daughter she wouldn't. Misako's already failed her children one too many times. And besides - how would Lloyd take it? How would he-

"It was Liv...wasn't it." Lloyd said. It wasn't a question.

"How do you-?"

"A lot's happened since you left." Lloyd answered, sounding tired. "Evil biker gang, crazy princess who blew up her own palace… I met Liv after the emperor gave a speech about the SoG." Lloyd explained, going back to tapping his foot on the bars.

"I - Where is she now?" Misako asked, Lloyd bit his lip. Not wanting to answer that. Misako didn't push. Leaving Lloyd to his thoughts. "I'm sorry Lloyd." Misako whispered. Lloyd didn't even respond.

More SoG's were beginning too file into the temple, buzzing around and setting up the final touches before the resurrection. Lloyd needs to stop them now. He wants to say he's sorry, Liv. Because she won't get the chance to apologize tonight. But for some reason, he feels like something is about to happen. Something big.

And he doesn't like it.

* * *

They had a plan. A flawless plan.

Well, maybe not flawless, more like _"Bubble gum and a wish."_ At Least that's what Jay said, with a smirk like he was thinking of a memory. Kai, on the other hand, did not like the phrase. Too much is on the line for just bubblegum and a wish. Seeing as they plan, they get there, and then all hell breaks loose.

Lucky for the ninja, hell broke loose while they were in the jungle, being ambushed by SoGs and people they thought were allies. So nothing else should be able to go wrong here, right? _Do not jinx it!_ Nya's words rang in his head, and Kai pushed the thoughts away.

He shifted from his vantage point on the roof of Liv's apartment. Kai's tried to shove the information out of his head multiple times. Because he's trying not to let his feelings get in the way right now. Not after she betrayed them, not after she'd betrayed Lloyd.

But she still saved him in that motorcycle crash.

And she's also the reason he was on the motorcycle.

Shaking his head, Kai pressed his commlink. "We were right." Kai said, watching from the roof as Sons of Garmadon zoomed through the streets. "The streets are teeming with SoG's. They don't want anyone getting near the palace."

"_We are in place."_ Zane said, Kai nodded to himself, turning towards the Jade Palace. _"Operation UnderCover initiated."_

"Copy that." Kai said, walking forwards. _We're coming, Green machine._

* * *

Harumi walked towards Lloyd with a smirk, holding a bowl in her hands. At her side was none other than Liv, she looked at Lloyd in the cage, an apology in her eyes. Lloyd almost smiled, but then he was reminded who's side she was on, and looked away.

"What are you doing?" Lloyd said instead. Scowling at Harumi. At her son's words, Misako looked towards him, eyeing the woman who's trying to bring her husband back from the dead. There was a woman next to the girl who's name was Harumi, a woman Misako hadn't seen with the Sons of Garmadon before. But the girl looked familiar to the old archaeologist.

"The three Oni masks alone won't bring back Lord Garmadon." Harumi explained, Liv's face was firm and neutral, revealing nothing. But she felt an odd sense of dread as the minutes ticked by. She's going to ensure her father's revival, and she's going to make up for all the lost time. But something was eating at her. It's been eating her since her and Harumi left the Oni temple. Ever since she put on the mask of hatred. A soft little voice in the back of her head, egging her to lash out when she was annoyed… It was weird. And the voice was nothing but a whisper… She's fine.

"For the ritual to succeed, I also need a hair from the son." Harumi swiftly grabbed a particularly large, blond lock of hair from Lloyd's head that probably won't come out so easy, and yanked hard. Lloyd grunted as Harumi pulled the hair from his scalp. Liv winced in sympathy. Harumi then walked over to another cage, Mr. E. pulled a lever, lowering the cage to the ground. Liv walked behind Harumi, peering over her shoulder to see who was in the cage.

"And the wife." Harumi said. It took Liv far longer than it should've. Harumi walked over and stood in front of her mother's cell. Misako eyed the elemental. Clearly trying to figure out who she was. Liv tried hard not to scream "_Mom!_" Because her mother left her years ago as a child. And only showed up because the ninja found her. She didn't come back on her own, she didn't write to her kids, she. Wasn't. There. But Liv is also trying very hard not to blast open her mother's cage and hug her. Because deep down she missed her mother. Gosh. Full on Garmadon family reunion tonight, if all goes well.

Harumi plucked a greying hair from Misako's braid. The women gasped, holding the spot that used to hold one more hair. Liv kept a straight face.

"The daughter." Harumi continued, with way less malice. Behind her, Liv heard Misako gasp. She closed her eyes, pulling herself together. Harumi came closer and gently pulled a hair from her head. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about your mother. We needed to-" Harumi whispered into Liv's ear. The blond placed a hand on Harumi's shoulder. And she stopped, nodding her head before turning back to Liv's mother and brother.

"I already collected one from the brother, little Wu. So, are we ready to begin?" Harumi taunted, turning around as if asking if her prisoners were ready.

"Don't worry, mom." Lloyd said, the temple's eyes were on him as he spoke. "My friends will stop this." Lloyd cast his emerald eyes towards Liv, and she looked away. His eyes held words. _They'll stop you, too._ Liv looked back at him, forcing her own words into her stare.

_But will you?_

Lloyd's stare faltured, his eyes straying around the temple. _Yes. Yes I will._

"...They'll have to make a choice." Harumi's voice filtered back into Liv's thoughts, she focused her mind back on what she was saying.

'A choice? What do you mean?" Lloyd asksed, looking at Liv, trying to read her. Liv shrugged and he looked back towards Harumi, who just smirked and walked towards the altar in the center of the temple. Mr. E pulled a lever, and Misako's cage sunk towards the water below her, stopping just above the cold surface.

"No!" Lloyd shouted as he was raised higher. But as he rose, Misako fell.

"Harumi!" Liv hissed, Harumi didn't look at her, just continued to speak.

"Save your mother, or their_ beloved green ninja_." Harumi smirked, completely unaware of Liv's soaring temper. Lloyd yelled, pulling at the bars of his cage.

"That just happens to be _my _mother, Harumi!" Liv said, gesturing at the empty spot that used to hold Misako's cage. "Are you planning on drowning her?"

Harumi faltered, she'd forgotten just who her best friend is. She can't kill the green ninja or his mother yet. She needs to wait. All good things come by waiting. Lucky for Harumi, she's an expert at waiting.

"It's just to keep the ninja busy long enough for us to bring back your father." Harumi said, softly. Placing a reassuring hand on Liv's shoulder. "Just an empty threat."

Liv stared at Harumi for a beat, she finally sighed. "An empty threat, nothing more. Neither of them will even _touch_ the water." She said, gesturing at Lloyd and her mother, then at the water below them. Harumi nodded, but she was cursing on the inside.

"You heard Tempest!" Harumi shouted at the thugs. "The Green ninja and his mother do not go near the water!" The thugs around them muttered, but a quick flash of Liv's fists, and they agreed.

"What ever happeneds, that man they want to bring back is not your father. You must not let it happen!" Misako shouted. Liv knows she was speaking to Lloyd. But she couldn't help but reply.

"He might not be the dad _you _recognize." She said to Misako, and partly to Lloyd. "But he'll be the dad _I _recognize." And with that, Liv turned on her heel, Harumi smirking behind her as they put in the final touches for the resurrection.

Misako leaned back on the sides of her cage, she took off her glasses, wiping at her eyes. She stands corrected, it seems. The worst thing a mother wants to see isn't her child in danger.

It's seeing her child corrupted.

* * *

**Little Less Ninja in this chapter. I felt like I needed to focus a bit more on Lloyd and Liv this chapter, with such a big moment coming up that will change the way they see each other. And I felt like having a little Liv and Harumi moment was needed. Those two are really good friends and really understand each other. The fact that Harumi and Liv are such good friends, that Harumi is willing to hold off on her need for vengeance on Lloyd will be an important factor in future chapters.**

**Lloyd is trying to feel sympathetic for Liv now that he knows her backstory, but it's really hard when she's on the wrong side. He hasn't **_**fully **_**forgiven her. He's still quite angry about her choosing team SOG. And the ninja are going to give her heck.**

**If you remembered what happened in chapter two then you get a cookie! Because I was having a bit of trouble bringing the events of that chapter into this one. We also finally know what Liv's gi looks like lol, sorry it took so long!**

**Next time: The resurrection has begun, choices are made, battle lines drawn, and destruction… Is here.**

**(I keep forgetting this!) **

_**GreenGirl~**_


	16. Playing with forces you don't understand

**It takes two**

**Chapter 16**

**Playing with forces you don't understand**

**PrincePacman47: Your reviews are so kind! Whenever I see them I'm like, "Must start the next chapter!" Liv doesn't care that she's on the wrong side and her family is now her enemy. She's still going to protect them as much as she can. Lloyd is feeling tons of emotions right now and is stuck in between his duty as the Green ninja (Which he never wanted), and his family. Because he knows that if his dad is brought back it will be **_**bad**_**, but he also doesn't want to deny his **_**pleading **_**sister the chance to say goodbye like he did. Liv and Lloyd both grew up without a choice, their lives already planned. And because of that, Lloyd is debating whether it was destiny that Liv turned on him, or by her own freewill. Liv chose her path, her side. Now it's Lloyd's turn.**

**P.S. I just posted a little character profile for Liv, so if ya want you can check that out.**

* * *

Jay walked slowly and sloppily towards the water, his flippers making it hard to walk. He felt like a duck, waddling around like he was. Jay looked over at the rest of his team (With the exception of Kai, who was about to pick them up. And Lloyd for _obvious_ reasons).

"You guys ready?" He asked, lightning sparking in his palm.

"You bet!" Nya said, jumping into the water. The other three ninja followed suit, jumping in the water after Nya and swimming towards Kai's submarine boat thing. The water was cold and bitter, a shiver ran down Jay's spine. And that's on their plan. Because Jay was _not _on board with swimming through freezing cold river water in the middle of winter.

In Jay's opinion, Kai has it best. Even if the resident fire ninja was reluctant to get into a submarine surrounded by water. He still has it better than the rest of them. Soon the dim moonlight that peeked through the water vanished as they disappeared into the underwater side entrance of the Jade palace. _Why _the Jade palace had an underwater side entrance is still a mystery to Jay. And he gladly used it as a distraction from what was to come.

But, as Jay's luck would have it, he was now thinking about how this battle would go down. No matter what, Lord Garmadon _couldn't _be resurrected. And Jay was not looking forward to fighting someone who he still considered a sister. But he _has _to.

He _has _to he _has _to he _has _to he _has _to!

But does he _want _to?

Of course not! Jay would honestly take the great devourer over fighting Liv. He'd probably take Chen or Morro or the Overlord - but he doesn't want to fight someone he's known since they were a child! Jay's terrified to see what Liv's become. Terrified to see her with them. And the worst part is that he can't freeze up.

Hesitation could cost them victory. And failure is not an option.

Jay took a deep breath through his scuba mask. Calming his nerves...and the lightning that was threatening to electrocute them all. Not wanting to kill him and his team, Jay forced himself not to think about the coming battle. Instead going back to wondering why the palace had an underwater entrance.

* * *

Harumi's three high ranking _jerks_ walked swiftly towards the Quiet One, each of them holding an Oni mask. Lloyd watched from his cell, glaring at the whole group. Liv was on the left side of the altar. A far away look in her eyes. Lloyd guessed she was thinking, and went as far to hope that she was reconsidering. But Liv turned to stand next to Harumi, crushing his hopes.

"...Then the ceremony is ready." Liv said, excitement laced into her voice.

Lloyd figured this was his last chance to turn his twin. His last chance to _at least try_ and be useful for once_._"I get it. You're hurt, and you need someone to take your pain out on, but this isn't the way." Lloyd said, looking around at all the Sons of Garmadon in the temple. His gaze settled on Liv and Harumi. "You don't have to do this. We _will _stop you." He said, confidently. Laughter rang around the temple, and Lloyd tried hard to keep the heartache from his eyes as Liv laughed with them.

For someone who isn't a parent, it would've been easy to miss the fake edge to Liv's laugh. But for a mother who's seen possibly every fake laugh and smile known to man kind, Misako's pretty much an expert at picking out the difference between someone's fake laugh, and their real one. And her daughters laugh… There was sadness and dread in her eyes. Pain in her forced chuckle.

"You put too much faith in your friends, Lloyd." Harumi spat. Liv tensed at the words. Knowing how big a lie that was. Because Liv is practically counting down the _seconds _till the ninja bust through the temple doors and light her on fire. The ninja's devotion to save Lloyd alone is not something to underestimate. Much less their determination to stop the big bad. Heck, they took down a hundred foot demon snake. Stopping her will be a walk in the park. Sadly.

"...And you put too little." Misako chided, her dull green eyes locked onto Liv's Jade ones. Liv shook her head, breaking eye contact.

"Place the masks in position." Liv ordered, the three high ranking thugs nodded, walking a few feet away. The three gangsters stood in a triangle, holding their masks in front of them. Liv stood in front of the altar while Harumi stood behind it. The two teens locked eyes, Harumi nodded, flashing Liv a reassuring smile. Liv took a deep breath, closing her eyes and pushing aside the sense of dread that sat in her chest.

"_Clotho-venge. Clotho-decer."_ Liv chanted, the floors around them began to shift.

"_Clotho-ha-eed!"_ The two teens yelled in unison, the three Oni masks hovered in the air, and a soft wind began to blow around the temple. Lloyd and Misako's cage's began to sway. Misako looked to Lloyd in worry.

"Lloyd, it's starting! Where are the ninja?" She said. Lloyd looked at her briefly before peeling his eyes away. Staring desperately at Liv's back. Harumi had an infuriating smirk on her face, and Lloyd wanted nothing more than to blast her all the way to the dark island. Unbeknownst to Lloyd, something hot and powerful was stirring in his chest. A small speck of light in the dark. The small light was warm and comforting, as if a candle was lit in his soul…

"_Clotho-venge. Clotho-decer. Clotho-ha-eed!" _The blonds chanted, an eerie, light purple fire engulfed the masks, making them untouchable to anyone who wasn't Oni blood. Just like in the last Oni temple.

Harumi nodded towards Liv, she took another breath, forming a ribbon of dark energy that wrapped around her arm. Liv focused, the power in her hands turned a ghostly shade of purple. Connecting to the power of the Oni masks. Something lit up in her soul as she linked herself with the masks. Something dark and ugly… Cold and destructive… Liv forced the power back into the masks, creating a light purple tether, connecting all the masks together. Liv grunted, struggling to hold the link. Liv nodded to Harumi, letting her know that the connection with the masks was secure. Harumi opened her mouth to chant again, but Lloyd spoke before her.

"Don't, Liv!" Lloyd screamed over the wind. "This isn't you!"

Sweat gathered on Liv's forehead. "_You don't know who I am!_" Liv shouted back. Her voice sounded weird. It sounded echoey and distorted. As if the voice wasn't her own.

Harumi continued to chant as both of Liv's fists lit with the ghostly light purple flame that was keeping the connection with the masks. The Oni masks spun rapidly around the two girls. Creating an impenetrable whirlwind around them.

"Rip the fabric between realms! Oni, I call upon you!" Harumi yelled at the top of her lungs. The floor around her stopped spinning, forming the Sons of Garmadon insignia. "Connect me to… The departed realm!" The spinning masks abruptly stopped, then collided with each other, forming a rift between the realms. Liv grunted as she reached out into the departed realm. Her head was definitely going to explode now. Keeping the link between the masks was becoming a harder task by the minute.

The winds were practically howling now. The cages rocked violently, jostling the captives. The winds pushed back anyone who wasn't in the eye. Harumi looked at Liv, strain was clear on her face, Harumi's face twisted into a frown. She placed a hand on Liv's arm.

"Just a bit longer." She whispered, Liv made a grunting noise, nodding her head. Harumi stared for a bit longer before returning to the resurrection.

* * *

The ninja all but sprinted up the rickety, wooden stairs. They could hear Harumi's yelling from the first floor, and the winds grew stronger and stronger as they got closer to the top. Swiftly taking out the two guards, the ninja peeked over the temple doors. The scene in front of them was chaotic.

A literal _cyclone _raged around Harumi and Liv, the Quiet One was cackling maniacally, while Liv looked like she was about to faint. Jay squinted at the two cages in the distance, Lloyd was in one and Misako in another. He zeroed in on Liv. Even from his vantage, he could still see the strain in her furrowed eyebrows and tense posture. She looked as if she was in pain. Jay tore his gaze away, trying to block out the sympathy he felt for her.

"I call upon thee, lord of many names." Harumi said, her hair flowing wildly in the wind. "Lord of Destruction! King of shadows! Lord Garmadon! Garmadon!"

Liv groaned, her whole body was trembling as she struggled to pull her father from the departed realm, and keep the link to the masks. Liv could feel him, she could feel his soul. She could feel the power of the masks coursing through her. Something flooded her mind, something dark and angry. Liv pulled harder on the link, the sooner she got this over with, the sooner she could find some ibuprofen and sleep for a week.

"_Who...Calls...Me?!" _Came a voice from the void. Multiple gasps arose from the temple. Lloyd was outraged, gripping the bars of his cage with white knuckles.

"Leave my father _**alone**_!" He yelled, shaking his cage. He was starting to lose hope. The ninja hadn't shown up. Liv showed no signs of coming to her senses. And Harumi was not about to stop now that she was so close. Maybe he put too much faith in his friends...maybe they weren't coming…

Just as the thought appeared in Lloyd's mind, a group of brightly dressed ninja sprang into action. Cole ran alongside one of the temple walls, using his momentum to slam his hammer down on several thugs. Harumi huffed in annoyance, and Liv didn't even open her eyes. She couldn't lose focus now. She had to keep the link!

The ninja began to push against the raging winds around the two girls, Harumi smirked as they were instantly shoved back. But they were quickly overpowering her men, and soon they'd free Lloyd. The only reason the winds kept them out was because they were protected by Liv's Oni link. If they freed Lloyd…

Harumi huffed, muttering an excuse to Liv that she thinks the elemental heard. Harumi nodded to Killow, who hurriedly ran towards the pulley system. Panic flashed in Lloyd's eyes, as he desperately looked to Liv.

"Wait! There's a trap!" Lloyd warned, just as Killow ran to pull the lever. Kai and Jay looked up at him, confusion and relief in their expression. _They're not going to be relieved for long._ Lloyd thought as his cage sank towards the water, Misako reached a hand out towards him, as if her will alone could bring him back.

"My son! Help him!" Misako cried. Kai and Jay ran towards the edge of the temple, watching in horror as Lloyd sunk into the water.

"You have to stop the ceremony!" Lloyd yelled, taking in a rushed gulp of air as he went under.

Jay sprang into his spinjitzu, lightning circled around him. Kai spinjitzu tornado came up beside him as the two ninja pushed against the three thugs surrounding the lever. The winds surrounding Harumi and Liv were invincible! Keeping the ninja from achieving their goal.

_Failure was not an option! Failure was not an option! Failure was not an option!_

"Follow my voice. Feel my presence. Join me, Lord Garmadon!" Harumi shouted, it was now or never! She had to bring him back, her life's goal is practically right in her grasp! She just needs Liv to keep the link!

It was as if Garmadon's voice was in Liv's head! She could feel him coming closer and closer, but the link was becoming weaker, she could barely keep her feet from slipping, her focus was faltering. The outside world was growing softer and softer, all Liv could hear was the sound of his voice. She screamed, pouring all her energy into her powers, the winds around Liv and Harumi grew stronger, forcing everyone in the temple back.

"We have to stop her!" Yelled Kai, kicking another thug into the water below them.

"Or maybe we should save our friend from drowning!" Jay argued.

"I can't get to her!" Kai continued, pushing against the fierce winds. He had to stop Harumi and Liv. Lloyd told him to stop them!

"Who's gonna save Lloyd?" Nya asked, spearing another thug. Cole ran over towards the pulley, swinging his hammer at the lever, Lloyd was pulled back up from the water, But Misako went in as soon as he came up. Cole huffed, going back for the lever. A thought kept appearing in his mind, reminding him that this sort of pulley system would only allow them to save one of them. Cole shoved the thought aside, focusing on saving Misako.

"Hello again!" Ultra violet cackled, pulling on the lever. Cole glared at her, pulling harder.

"A little help!" He yelled, pulling the lever back towards him. Kai spinjitzued towards the struggling earth master. With a yell, Kai pulled out his katana and sliced the lever in two. Cole mentally face palmed as Kai just gaped, Misako was pulled back up, but Lloyd went back under.

"Lord Garmadon!" Harumi yelled, he was almost here, she could feel it! "Follow my voice! Follow the shadows!"

Mr. E charged at Kai, blood red katannas drawn and ready. Zane lept in front of the blades, blocking them with his bow. With a grunt, the nindroid hurled the android over Kai, the robot's katannas fell into the water below them, Zane aimed his bow at the thug, eyes narrowed and firm.

"Someone get Lloyd out of the water!" Misako cried, gripping the bars of her cage with white knuckles.

"Nya, you are the water ninja!" Jay said, looking from the water to the empty spot next to Misako's cage.

Nya kicked a thug to the ground, hoisting her spear above her head. "You don't need to be a water ninja to do this!" She said, throwing her spear in between the chains of the cage and the pulley.

"Cole, get Lloyd up, use your lava arm!" Misako said. Cole nodded, dropping his warhammer and focusing on powering up his lava arms. Grabbing the pulley, Cole used his super strength to pull on the chains.

"It won't budge!" Cole shouted, his eyebrows knitted in concentration.

"What do you mean 'it won't budge?!'" Kai yelled, sending another biker to the floor. Cole grunted, stepping back from the pulley with a huff.

"It's stuck! I can't get it to move!" Cole said, leaning over the edge of the temple, peering into the water.

"We have to get Lloyd up or he's going to drown!" Jay yelled over the raging battle.

Misako took a shuddery breath, trying to find a way to save her son from a watery grave. The archaeologist gasped, looking over towards Liv and Harumi. "Someone get Liv! She can get Lloyd up!" Misako yelled. The ninja looked at her like she was crazy.

"She's not going to help us! She's against us!" Kai argued, gesturing furiously at the blond girl.

"I know my daughter! She'll help him." Misako said. "Now get her before my son drowns!"

Without wasting a beat, Jay ran towards the whirlwind. He was immediately pushed back, shielding his eyes, Jay pushed harder against the winds. "Liv!" He screamed. Harumi looked up at him in annoyance, before looking to his right, where a second cage was missing. Harumi smirked, knowing exactly why the lightning ninja was seeking her friends help.

"Liv, you gotta help us!" Jay said, the winds grew stronger as Liv's fists blazed.

"You… Are… Wasting your... Time." Liv panted, keeping the connection to the masks and the departed realm firm.

"Liv, you have to! It's Lloyd!" Jay yelled over the winds. "He's going to die if you don't help us! You hear? Your brother's going to die!"

The winds around Liv and Harumi slowed for a beat as Jay's words reached her ears, before picking up stronger than before. Liv grunted, forcing the link to the departed realm into one of her fists. The portal faltered, and Harumi gasped. Liv focused, forcing the rift to remain open. With her other hand, Liv reached out towards the spot where Lloyd's cage used to be.

"Get out of the way!" She screamed. The ninja quickly ducked as tendrals of dark energy snaked from Liv's outstretched hand and towards the pulley system. The dark energy wrapped around the chains and the mechanisms. Ever so slowly, the cage slowly moved, the gears slowly shifting.

The ninja silently cheered on Liv as she struggled to pull Lloyd from the water. Liv's whole body shook under the strain of keeping the portal open, and pulling Lloyd up. Her eyebrows were knitted together in concentration and the winds around them raged. Laughter rang from the vortex, tendrils of purple smoke warping around the temple. The pulley system gave one final screech of metal before Lloyd's cage came bursting from the water.

"Lloyd!" Shouted the collective ninja,rushing over to free the green ninja. Cole pried open the cage bars using his lava arm, and Lloyd all but collapsed into him, gasping for air and coughing.

Cole slipped an arm under Lloyd, helping him stand. The blond shrugged off the help, taking a few more gasping breaths before looking into the swirling cyclone. The ninja all looked from one another as the laughter grew louder.

"It's him." Lloyd said, softly as he stared into the vortex.

"I hear you, feel you. Come! Be mortal once again!" Harumi shouted into the rift. "Your son wants to stop you! But I want to make you stronger!"

"_Ha...ru...mi!_" Garmadon growled, Liv stumbled back, the winds around them howling.

Lloyd yelled, charging into the whirlwind. Shielding his face, He glared at Harumi, taking small steps into the raging winds.

"You cannot stop it!" Harumi yelled, smirking at the green ninja.

Lloyd spun into his shimmering green spinjitzu, pushing against the winds. With a yell, Nya's water spinjitzu joined him, pushing Lloyd forward. Soon all the ninja had joined, all of them pushing Lloyd closer and closer towards the center of the cyclone.

Liv grunted as the link faltered, her father was so close, she could feel him now more than ever. Harumi was giving her a pleading look, and Liv pushed everything she had into the link. Screaming, Liv sent out an aura wave of dark energy, sending one last final tug to try and pull her father into Ninjago. At the same time, the ninja shoved Lloyd through the cyclone. Using his spinjitzu, Lloyd knocked Liv to the ground. Garmadon let out a blood curdling scream as the rift closed.

"No… _NO!_" Harumi cried as the vortex disappeared, the three Oni masks falling uselessly on the ground. Harumi fell to her knees. Panting like she'd run a marathon. She sprawled out on the altar. Knocking over the bowl in the process.

"Father…" Lloyd whispered, he then noticed the blond still lying unconscious on the ground. He knelt down next to Liv, hesitating briefly before stroking a sweat soaked strand of hair from her eyes.

"_Lloyd!_" Hissed Kai, storming over towards the silent green ninja.

Lloyd ignored Kai as he fretted over him, soon the other ninja were gathered around him. Cole went to free Misako, and the archaeologist knelt down next to Lloyd and her unconscious daughter. Even in sleep, Liv still looked to be in pain, Misako gingerly caressed her cheek, eyes welling with tears. The ninja stepped back, allowing the family to have a much needed moment. Jay's eyes lingered on Liv before following the rest of his family.

"I'm - I'm sorry I dragged you into this." Lloyd said after a while, Liv's head now resting in his lap.

"You didn't drag me into anything. This isn't your fault." Misako reassured, placing a hand on her son's wet shoulder.

"I - I should've known, I should've been able to stop her before it came to this." Lloyd argued, looking down on Liv, then casting his eyes towards Harumi. "I should've seen through them."

Misako took Lloyd's hands in her own, squeezing them tightly. "Your only mistake is that you're trusting, and good, and see the best in people. That's not something to be ashamed of, Lloyd. You're a kind person, and they're are people in the world who will take advantage of that. But you are not responsible for her choices, This is not your fault."

Lloyd shook his head, picking up Liv bridal style. "Not anymore." He said through gritted teeth, before striding from the temple. This is the last time someone will take advantage of him. First Pythor, then the overlord, then Morro. Now Harumi and his own sister! It's about time he starts making decisions based on his gut. Not his feelings.

Jay tried to pull Liv from Lloyd's grasp as they left the temple, but Lloyd just pulled away. Muttering something before spotting his target. Walking towards a police van, in the van was a white haired psychopath.

Lloyd stood in front of Harumi, who's eyes narrowed as she caught sight of Liv. Lloyd rolled his eyes, plopping Liv in the seat next to Harumi. Without saying a word, Lloyd shoved the back doors of the van shut, and stormed away. Joining back up with the ninja, his heart and mind racing.

* * *

Harumi sighed, looking over her shoulder at Liv, who was still knocked out. Maybe Harumi shouldn't have pushed her to form the link, maybe Harumi shouldn't have told Killow to start the wheel. Maybe then Liv wouldn't have overexerted herself to free him. There were too many 'maybes' and 'what if's.' What's done is done.

And Harumi failed. Her life's goal shattered by one bad choice.

Harumi kicked the seat across from her with an angered huff. Liv stirred next to her, and Harumi's head whipped towards the blond. Liv peaked open an eye, turning in the dim light of the van.

"Hey." Harumi said as Liv's hazy eyes found her's.

"...Hey?" Liv said, sitting up. "Did it work?" She asked. Harumi shook her head, the movement barely visible in the dark van. Liv slumped, muttering a soft "Oh."

"I… I'm sorry I made you do that." Harumi continued. Liv placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's - it's fine." Liv said, sounding tired. Harumi just sighed.

"Okay."

The two girls spent the rest of the ride to the police department in silence. Both lost in their own minds. Both thinking about what the future had in store for them. But, unbeknownst to the two blonds, Liv wasn't the only one in her head.

Some_thing _\- or some_one_ else, was in there, too.

* * *

**DU DU DUU! Little explanation, Harumi needed Liv to form the link between the masks and the departed realm. Liv also had to help guide her father to ninjago. The link, or connection Liv had in this chapter was just the link between the Oni masks and the departed realm. And the cyclone of wind was a protective barrier around Liv and Harumi while they did the ceremony. Only Someone with Oni blood could enter the whirlwind once it was formed.**

**This chapter was fun to write. There was SO much going on! **

**Next time: Not everyone is happy about the victory over the Sons of Garmadon. And maybe it isn't a victory at all…**

_**GreenGirl~**_


	17. All these voices in my head get loud

**It takes two**

**Chapter 17**

**All these voices in my head get loud **

**PrincePacman47: Sir you are correct. Like, Misako, you're lucky you got brought back into the show. Please stop taking off for years on end then popping up outta nowhere. And then she comes back and goes "your only mistake is that you're trusting and good and see the best in people." I honestly don't understand why having such a awesome heart is a bad thing. I think what misako was **_**trying **_**to say was maybe that Lloyd did nothing wrong, and that he wasn't responsible for what Liv chose to do. Liv is definitely scared of losing people she cares about. No matter how evil they may be. A lot of things would've never happened if Liv never left the underworld. And you better believe that Lloyd will be thinking the same thing. Liv is - sadly - secretive by nature. And because of all these secrets, Lloyd wonders what else she's kept hidden. And if he really knows his family...**

* * *

Alone.

Tired.

Weird.

All words Liv would use to describe her feelings right now. Harumi had been taken for questioning more than an hour ago. And she hadn't returned. _Alone._ Liv had used more of her elemental powers than she had her whole life. Struggling to hold the link between the masks and the departed realm. _Tired. _Ever since the resurrection - which had completely failed - Liv's felt...uncomfortable. She would've just chalked it up to her worry about facing her mother and the ninja, but it's whenever she thinks. _Weird._

Liv has never really been one to be afraid of being alone. She spent most of her life exploring ninjago alone. She's grown used to it. Liv was never afraid of dark, empty village streets at night, or walking through a forest alone. She was never afraid of the dark. And despite her dark powers, she's never been one to have a dark _mind_.

Now, every shadow on the wall makes her want to hide - but not _from _the shadows, _In _the shadows. Now every thought that runs through her head is dark and destructive. Now the thrum of her powers buzzs beneath her finger tips. Humming wildly, and consistently. She now wishes that the cops had put a vengestone cuff on her. _They don't know who I am._

Her mind is telling her to _run run run!_ But her legs won't move.

And then everything is dark. She's alone, and afraid. Liv knows that the room she's in is _perfectly _lit, but for some reason, the light can't reach her. Liv's drowning in the shadows, and now it's too much. It's too much darkness, too much destruction.

But she wants _more_.

Liv opens her eyes upon realizing that the reason she was surrounded in darkness was because she had them closed. But when she opens her eyes, she's still locked in an ever lasting night. Liv walks forwards into the void, looking around hesitantly.

"Hello?" Liv calls into the darkness, still walking.

Silence.

Liv honestly didn't know what she'd expected. No one is with her. She's-

'_Hello.'_

Liv freezes, looking frantically in every direction. She's going crazy now. She's hearing voices in her head. Oh, they're going to think she's insane. No one will listen. Not the police, not the ninja, not her mother, not her brother-

'_Liv Garmadon.' _Came the voice. Liv tensed, shaking her head.

"W-Who are you?" Liv whispers.

'_Someone you know quite well.'_

Liv growls, anger bubbling in her chest. "That's _not _an answer."

'_Ah, isn't it? Have you already forgotten?'_

Liv began to run through the darkness. Trying to find the way out. She needs to leave. She can't stay alone in this room any longer. "I don't know who you are." Liv says, running faster through the void.

'_Oh but you do. Think!' _Shouts the voice. Liv stumbles, falling to her knees. The voice is all around her, the darkness is all around her. Closing in and suffocating her. She's numbly aware of the faint glow around her fists.

"Leave me alone!" Liv screams, lashing out with dark energy. Shouts of alarm echo faintly in the back of her mind, but it was soon blocked out by the voice.

'_Tsk, tsk… It's so sad how quickly people forget things nowadays.' _The voice sighs. From the corner of her eye, Liv see's the shadows around her shift.

'_Isn't it, daughter?'_ The voice says, the shadows around Liv shifted again, revealing a tall, four armed man with pitch black skin and lava red eyes. Liv's brain completely stops. Her eyes glassy and her hand going to cover her mouth.

"Dad?" She says, the word coming out in a choked, watery whisper.

'_Ah, so you do remember me.'_ Garmadon says, flashing Liv a sharp-toothed grin. Liv shot to her feet, stumbling into her father's surprised arms.

"How are you here? The ceremony failed - how are you in my head? Me and Harumi-" Liv began, her words rushed. Garmadon held out a hand, shushing the blond girl.

'_How I'm here doesn't matter. The girl. Harumi. Where is she?' _Garmadon says, his tone authoritative. Liv sniffles a bit, wiping at her eyes.

"The commissioner took her for questioning. So she should be in-"

'_The interrogation room.' _Garmadon finishes, Liv nods.

"That's on the first floor. We're on the third. There's a staircase we could take to get to the first and get her." Liv says, a determined smirk on her face. "Then we bust outta here."

Garmadon nods, looking at Liv with a stern face. Liv tries not to flinch under his stare. Forgetting how unnerving it can be. _'I'm in your mind, daughter.' _Garmadon says. Liv frowns.

"Yeah, I figured." Liv says, rolling her eyes fondly.

'_If you wish to escape, then you must let me take control.' _

"What?" Liv says, backing up.

'_You must let me take control of your body.'_ Garmadon says, reaching for Liv. She dodges the hand, holding her head.

"No, no you don't. You can tell me how to get out. Let me show you I can do this." Liv argues, stepping up to her father. Garmadon shakes his head.

'_You are weak!' _Garmadon yells. Liv shrinks back. _'You are not able to do what you must to gain freedom.' _

"I'm not weak!" Liv says. "And I certainly don't need _you _of all people telling me that I am. Remember, dad, _you_ are in _my_ mind. If I don't get us out, then you can take control." Garmadon is silent for a beat, going over his options.

'_Alright then, daughter.'_

In a flash of light, Liv finds herself back in the room. But, she was no longer alone. A dozen police officers stood around her, tasers held out in warning. Liv took a slow, deep breath. Stepping forwards.

"Don't move!" One of the officers shouted. Liv smirked, eyes flashing.

'_Go now.'_ Dark energy curls around Liv's fingers, the officers immediately fire they're tasers at her. Liv forms a shield around herself, the officers eyes widen with panic as Liv lashes out with tendrils of dark energy. A smile inches onto her face, Liv's never felt so alive! So free with herself.

She makes it all the way to the first floor in minutes. Destroying anyone who gets in her way.

* * *

Harumi was quiet. As she always should be.

The commissioner and another police officer waited just behind the window that mimics a mirror right across from the imprisoned princess. The officers weren't getting a peep outta her. Harumi frowned, glaring straight into the small lamp in front of her.

Her mind was replaying the resurrection over and over in her mind. Forcing her to watch again and again as her life shattered. She'd been so close to everything she'd ever wanted in life. And now the floor's been ripped from underneath her. Leaving her empty, alone, and angry.

Muffled thuds and shouts could be heard from outside the interrogation room Harumi was in. At first she paid it no mind, going back to her thoughts. The screams got louder, things crashed to the floor. Harumi stood up, eyes glued to the door.

The commissioner burst through the door, hitting the back wall with a sickening crack. The commissioner groaned, shoulders slumped. In came a blond girl with jade green eyes, a goofy smirk on her lips. Violet sparks danced around her hands.

"Liv." Harumi breaths. The blond smiled, but then her eyes rolled, and her head dropped. Harumi ran forward in slight panic. Liv's head shot up, her eyes a radiant red.

"Ah, so you're the girl who started all this." Liv says. But the voice didn't sound like Liv. It sounded weird, echoey, almost. Realization dawned on the white haired princess as she stepped closer.

"Lord Garmadon…?" Harumi asks in astonishment. Liv nods her head, smirking. "You're free."

Liv's eyes closed forcefully, when they opened, they were back to Livs jade green. She shook her head, frowning.

"Stop it, you'll get a turn." Liv chides. Harumi looks on in confusion. "C'mon, Harumi."

Harumi holds out her cuffed hands, Liv wastes no time blasting the cuffs off. The two girls sprint through the police station - which was thoroughly trashed. Police officers groaned from where they lay on the ground, desks and tables were flipped over, what was once on them strown about the station.

They ran down the streets of Ninjago city and turned into a dark alley, breathing heavily and sweating. Ambulances have started to pour into the police station, and news vans showed up not too long after.

Harumi looks to Liv, her face thoughtful. "So." Harumi starts. "He's in your head. Your father."

Liv nods, looking at the ground. "Do you know why? How he's in my head?"

Harumi taps her chin, thinking. "The link." She finally says. "Lord Garmadon was already here. The link you made between the masks and the departed realm, that's how he's here. But the resurrection was stopped before Lord Garmadon could take physical form. But his _mind_ made it out."

* * *

"_It's time for training and we're getting started. It's on you know, and we wanna see you whip and shout it. We rock! You roll!"_ Sang the ninja, dancing around on the small karaoke stage in Darreth's bar, Laffy's. How all five of them fit on the stage is a mystery in and of itself.

"_They say, go slow. And everything just stands so still. We say go, go. We're ready for the fight, we know the drill."_

Lloyd listens half heartedly to the voices of his friends. How ever off-key they may be. They still sound so happy. Blissfully unaware of the raging thoughts in Lloyd's mind. He doesn't want to be a burden, or anything. These are his problems, not his mothers, not Pixals, not his friends, His.

(Even though these problems could've been solved if they'd been honest with him).

But then again, what's the point, right? Why tell Lloyd Garmadon, the freaking _prophesied_ Green Ninja, _leader_ of the team, anything! There's no need for him to know that he might have a sister. No need for him to know about her troubled past that could lead to future problems.

These are the people he trusts his _life _with. The people he would give his life _for_. The people he loves more than _anything _else in all sixteen realms.

And they _lied _to him.

Now look what's happened.

His sister's _incarcerated_, his heart is _broken_, his trust _shattered_, and he's_ angry!_ Because he had the right to know about all of this years ago! He'd - sadly - expected it from his mother. He'd expected it from his father. He'd expected it from his uncle, too. Because even though Lloyd loves them, he truly does, he _expected_ it.

But he didn't expect it from his brother, from his sister. He didn't expect Jay and Zane and Cole to so bluntly tell him that no one else was in the temple with them. That he'd probably been imagining it. He wants all the answers. He wants this stream of lies and secrecy to end.

Lloyd huffed, closing his eyes tightly.

A part of him knows that Liv still cares for him. In her own...secretive way. Lloyd sighed, pushing his feelings back down. Deep down. _Very _deep down.

"_They're gonna see us whip into it! Just jump up, kick back, whip around and spin!" _The ninja continued to sing, they jumped from the stage, dancing and jumping to the beat of the song. Misako had come to stand next to Lloyd, and he just turned away. He couldn't promise that he'd be able to talk without it ending in a choked, crying mess. Because he feels a really strong urge to _scream_ at somebody.

"She still cares for you. You know that, right?" Misako says, gently.

Lloyd crosses his arms. "What does it matter?"

"It mattered to _you_."

Lloyd bit his lip, trying to stop the quell of emotion. They just beat the bad guys, and it didn't even take that long. Why is he so upset? Why does it feel like his insides are on fire? Why does he feel so hollowed out? So overwhelmed with emotions that should be locked up so tight that Lloyd's forgotten all about them?

"Bruises go away, bones break and heal. But when your familys broken… Lloyd, you can't let this destroy you. This is a new chapter in all of our lives. And for better or for worse, some chapters may end with things we don't like." Misako's voice broke, and she dabbed at her eyes. "I never wanted this to happen, Lloyd. I wanted our family to be together and I wanted us to be happy. I am so sorry."

Lloyd took a breath. "You know, mom? As much as you wanted us to be one _big_ _happy family_, you left, too. You still kept secrets that I should've known. And you lied for years! You _all lied to me for years!_ My own _sister _was right under my nose and I had no idea! This all could've been avoided if you'd been honest with me! If she'd been honest with me." Lloyd exhales, he's vaguely aware that the cheerful voices of his friends have become hushed, the music is soft, and all the eyes are on him. But he couldn't bring himself to care. He'd opened the can, now he has to close it.

"A leader _cannot_ lead if he doesn't know his team. And right now…" Lloyd says, looking at his 'team.' "I don't know my team." Lloyd turns on his heel, striding towards the stairs and out the bar. He vaguely hears the ninja calling after him, but he keeps walking.

Not once looking back.

* * *

"Sons of Garmadon!" Harumi yells, having taken control of Kryptarium prison. She's sure that the ninja have heard about her escape from custody, and will no doubt show up to stop her, guns blazing and ready for round two.

But she's got an ace up her sleeve, because right now, the Sons of Garmadon have the element of surprise. A card they didn't expect her to play. And Harumi guesses that having her master's mind stuck in one of her best friends will have to do. Harumi has no doubt that her plans will still work, that she can still take her revenge. Because what Liv wouldn't have agreed to before, she might agree to now.

"No longer shall I be the Quiet One! No longer shall I be silent, and no longer shall you! For our father has returned!" Harumi says, bowing as Liv steps out from the shadows. Her eyes a radiant scarlet, and her black ninja Gi giving her the effect of Garmadons pitch black skin.

The bikers cheered, shouting Garmadons name. Liv's lips twisted into a smirk as she lit one of her fists aflame with dark energy. The thugs cheered even louder at the sight. Harumi took Liv's hand, holding it high in the air.

"Behold! Our new Mistress!"

* * *

Lloyd dangled his legs over the edge of the skytram. Alone at last with his thoughts. The sun was starting to set, casting the city into that beautiful golden hour. Nothing seems so golden right now, though. Lloyd thinks, somewhat bitterly.

He doesn't regret snapping at his mom. If anything, he feels very proud of himself. With all these secrets and lies, Lloyd doesn't even think he knows his family at all. How's he supposed to know what's a lie and what isn't?

Lloyd sighs as he hears soft feet landing on the skytram. He turns his head, expecting to see Kai or Nya. He's not disappointed, though. As Jay sits down next to him.

"Hey, we kinda need you to come back. We've got a problem." Jay says, laughing a bit.

"When do we not have a problem?" Lloyd scoffs. Jay laughs again.

"Yeah. But - this is a, uh, a bigger problem."

Lloyd turns a quizzical eye on him. "What do you mean?"

Twenty minutes later finds Lloyd, albeit reluctantly, sitting in the bridge as the ninja rattle off half thought up ideas on how to deal with their current predicament. He really should've excepted Liv to break out. After all, the police didn't know she was an elemental master. They probably didn't give her vengestone cuffs.

But they're was something about his twin that just put him on edge. Like she isn't really herself… Lloyd shoves the feelings back down. After all, he doesn't know what Liv's true self is. All Lloyd knows is that he has to stop her, again.

"We have to go to Kryptarium prison." Lloyd says, standing up. His team shoots him glances, but Lloyd ignores them.

"Okay. We take on Liv, Harumi, and they're entire gang, _again_! While they're fortified in an impenetrable bunker." Jay says, pacing the deck and throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Not the best idea. Anyone have anything else?"

Everyone averted their eyes. Because apparently the cloudless sky and cracked floorboards were more interesting. "I have to face her." Lloyd says, determination in every word. "She saved me, now I have to save her."

Kai steps forwards, arms crossed and a frown on his face. "I dunno, Lloyd. Sounds like a bad idea."

"And Kai knows bad ideas." Cole says, gesturing towards the fire ninja. "He's full of 'em."

"I agree." Zane says, steamrolling past Cole's statement and Kai's glaring. "It's too dangerous. And that is probably exactly what they want."

"You don't know that!" Lloyd shouts, turning away. "I have to try. At least to get answers."

"I believe in this instance, your past success in turning your father and your quest for the truth may be clouding your judgement, Lloyd." Zane says. Lloyd turns to glare at him.

"Maybe I wouldn't feel like confronting my sister for answers if you would _stop keeping secrets from me!_" Lloyd says, everyone looks away once more. Everyone but Jay.

"Look, Lloyd! We didn't want to keep secrets from you. But we made a promise that we had to keep! It wasn't our place to tell you! You're just gonna have to trust us on this." Jay says, waving his arms around. "We gotta stay as far away from that place." He points in the direction of Kryptarium. "As possible."

Lloyd scowls. "How am I supposed to _trust _you when I don't even _know _you?"

* * *

'_On your left!'_ Garmadon shouts in Liv's mind. She quickly turns to her left, kicking another thug to the floor. _'This would be a lot easier if you let me take control.'_

Liv huffs, sending another ball of dark energy at a group of gangsters. "I'll think about it."

Garmadon sighs, but leaves his daughter alone. Liv hurls another orb of dark energy, blasting bikers across the prison's basketball court. She doesn't know when, exactly, she became more comfortable using her powers, and she honestly doesn't care. Every shadow she feels drawn too, every orb thrown from her hand feels stronger, every thug that crumples to the ground filling her with glee, and lastly, everything destroyed by her hand feels natural.

"Good." Harumi purrs. "But there's still so much more to learn. Your family kept the truth from you. They were afraid of what you'd become." Harumi says, circling Liv. The elemental knows that her friend is addressing her father through her, but Liv couldn't help but feel like Harumi was talking directly to her. Like the words coming from her lips were always meant for her.

"The blood of both Oni and Dragon flows through you. You have the power to create, and destroy." Harumi continues, gesturing with her gloved hands.

"Tell me...how." Liv says.

Harumi smirks. "As Wu had previously taught the ninja, you too can unlock your true potential, a dark potential." Liv nods, the desire to discover her true potential enticing. "But to achieve it, you must overcome the one obsacle that has always stood in your way. The one person that has always _held you back._"

"My...son." Garmadon says through Liv's lips.

Harumi turns around, a smile on her face. "Yes. _Lloyd_."

Liv's fist clenches against her will, as Garmadon says. "Then...bring him to me."

"I won't have to." Harumi says, softly. "He will come."

Harumi walks away, her hair swinging behind her. Liv shakes her head. "Don't _do _that." She scolds the voice in her head. _'This training is for me to unlock my true potential. It was necessary for me to take control.'_ Her father says. Liv laughs a little, following after Harumi.

"Hey, wait up!" Liv calls. Harumi turns to Liv with a soft smile. "I need to ask you something, about unlocking my… er, my _father's _true potential."

Harumi tenses, but keeps walking. Liv walks with her. "What do you want to know?" Harumi says.

"What did you mean by…'overcome the one person that's stood in his way?'" Liv asks. "What's gonna happen to Lloyd?"

'_What needs to be done.'_ Her father says.

"Shut it." She whispers to her father. Harumi just sighs.

"What I mean by 'overcome' is...battle." Harumi sighs. "Your father needs to defeat Lloyd in battle to unlock his true potential." Liv shakes her head, gaping.

"'Defeat him in battle?' Harumi! What's gonna happen to my brother?!" Liv yells, she can vaguely hear her father in her head, muttering things Liv doesn't hear. Harumi's placing a hand on her shoulder, but it's like trying to sugar coat _death_.

"Nothing's going to happen to Lloyd!" Harumi shouts, exasperation in her voice. "He just needs to lose to your father in battle."

'_And you'll have to let me take control to do that. Unless you want to defeat your brother yourself...and unlock your own true potential.'_ Garmadon says. Liv goes silent, thinking.

"Lloyd is _not_ what holds me back." Liv counters, Garmadon scoffs in sync with Harumi.

"You sure about that?" Harumi says, at the same time Garmadon says _'You're more naïve than I thought.'_

"Listen Liv, how long have you spent being fearful of what Lloyd would think of you? How many things have you given up for him? How many times have you put yourself on hold for him? You might be too scared to admit it, but I'm not. He's holding you back from being who you are!" Harumi says, grabbing Liv's shoulders.

"Now it's time to focus on yourself. Lloyd Garmadon has held you back, and now it's time to break the chain." Harumi whispers. Liv looks up at her, jade eyes narrowed.

'_We must defeat Lloyd, either you do it, or I will.'_

Liv lets out a long, exasperated sigh. "Okay. But my father can do it, the same thing holds both of us back, so if my father defeats Lloyd, then it'll unlock both of our true potentials." Liv says, Harumi nods. Liv turns to walk away.

"Oh, and one more thing." The jade eyed girl says. "Let's find a way to get my father his own body."

* * *

Lloyd knows what he's doing.

Sort of.

Maybe?

Not really.

Because locking all of his friends in the bunk room so he could go and confront his sister alone...probably is impulsive and stupid. And definitely _not _something the Green Ninja should do.

Then again, Lloyd used to think that family doesn't lie to your face for years.

So after making sure the navigation was locked well enough that Zane would have a hard time unlocking it, he turns towards the weapons cabinet. Expertly ignoring his friends over the radio and picking out his sword.

Lloyd fingers the blade, thoughts racing. With a huff, Lloyd shoves the sword back into the weapons cabinet. This is going to be a fair fight. To show Liv that the light is, and forever will be, bright enough to defeat the darkness.

Sending one last look at the bounty, Lloyd pulls up his mask and leaps over the side. Forming his elemental dragon and flying towards Kryptarium.

* * *

'_You have something you want to tell me. What is it?'_

Liv gives a sort of huffing laugh, turning over on the small prison cot. "It's - it's nothing." She says to her father. Liv can feel Garmadon's disbelief.

'_It is not nothing. I am in your mind. I can feel your thoughts just as you feel mine. What do you want to ask me?' _Garmadon says. Liv sighs, sitting up and swinging her feet over the side of the cot.

"If you...really are the dad I remember, then you should remember what you did. What you made me do." Liv says, twirling a ribbon of dark energy in her fingers. It wasn't a pleasant day. When she'd destroyed that village. But it was such a point in her life. Something that changed her forever, something that changed the lives of the people all around her forever.

'_If you are referring to the day...that I was supposed to take you to the catacombs in the UnderWorld… Then yes, I do remember.' _

"But you didn't." Liv says, anger bubbling in her chest. "You took me to destroy a village."

Her father was silent in her mind. _'Ah, so that's what's been on your mind.'_ Garmadon muses. _'That is why you wanted to bring me back.'_

"I brought you back to say i'm sorry." Liv says, a bit hastily. "I brought you back to say that I'm sorry. For being so angry about the past when I should've let it go. And then you died. And I never got to say goodbye because I was so stuck in the past. I - I'm sorry, dad." Liv says, tears welling in her eyes. She chuckles wetly, wiping her eyes.

"You probably think this is stupid." She sighs.

'_Anger is not always a bad thing.' _Her father says. _'Anger fuels us to be better, be stronger. More ambitious. I...I accept...your apology. And I am - also sorry. For putting you through that, daughter.'_

Liv beams, feeling like a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders as she smiles at the ceiling. All her life she's been waiting to hear those words. And all her waiting has finally paid off. And Lloyd was so against this. Maybe if he could just talk to their father, he would see that this isn't a bad thing. That this was a blessing. Liv has to thank Harumi. For bringing her father back to her.

At that moment, Harumi runs in, wiping windswept hair from her face. Liv immediately stands, her face questioning. "What's going on?" She says.

Harumi takes a breath, composing herself. "He's here." Is all she says.

Liv nods, her face determined. "Let me talk to him, first." Liv says. "If I can't help him see reason, then my father can take over."

* * *

**HAHA. That's that. Things are starting to get intense. The resurrection may have failed in giving Garmadon physical form, but it didn't stop his mind from escaping the departed realm. When Liv reached out into the departed realm in chapter 16, Garmadon linked onto her powers. And thus, he now lives in Liv's mind. Garmadon's powers come from Liv. But is what holds Garmadon back what holds back Liv?**

**Now, Garmadon will not be the emotionless demon he is in the show. He cares for his daughter to a certain extent, and later, Harumi. He sees those two as his children. But not Lloyd. **

**Next time: It's a battle between the darkness, and the light. As two twins fight to see which side is stronger...**


	18. Shooting stars never fly for me

**It takes two **

**Chapter 18**

**Shooting stars never fly for me**

**PrincePacman47: It is sad that these two tried so hard to avoid confrontation, but it was really inevitable. Lloyd does feel a sense of pride when he snaps at his family, because it pains him to see his family fall apart so fast. And to see them celebrating what's tearing him apart… Lloyd above all else is angry. He wants the answers he so desperately needs. I can't really say much else without spoiling what's to come. But i'll tell you now, choices, hard choices will have to be made. But whether they're the right one's… Well, that's up for you to decide.**

**MarySue9084: Haha, yeah. I felt that Lloyd didn't really have the reaction to Harumi's betrayal that was needed for such a big moment in the show, so I'm glad I brought some feels to the table XD.**

**More throw backs! Who remembers what happened in ****chapter eight?**

* * *

Lloyd lands his dragon in front of Kryptarium prison, the dragon vanishing in a puff of golden mist. The blond slowly approaches the prison's entrance, which was _conveniently _left open.

Listen, Lloyd's not stupid, and he knows that this is probably a trap. But he had to face her. He has to at least try. Lloyd is however, waiting for Harumi to jump him with a knife. So he's not really sure how this whole confrontation will go down.

Lloyd walks through the dark halls towards the center of the prison. All the cells were open and empty. Which is probably a bad sign. Behind him, Lloyd hears the sound of steel doors closing, and he's immediately set on alert.

"Show yourself, Liv!" Lloyd yells, his fist glowing with energy. Soft laughter rings out around Lloyd, he swivels around, trying to find the source.

Liv steps from the shadows, violet ribbons of dark energy curling around her arms. "Why are you here, Lloyd?" She says, her voice soft as she steps closer towards him. Lloyd takes a breath, walking in sync towards Liv.

"I didn't come to fight." He says. "I came to talk."

Liv stops in front of Lloyd, the purple glow around her arms fading. "You know this won't end in talking, Lloyd. One of us will leave this prison victorious, and the other will not." Liv whispers, taking Lloyd's hand in hers. "Lloyd, I want you to leave victorious, but I can't let you."

Lloyd's mind is racing. He can feel something inside of his twin. Something dark. Something that isn't her. "But you can! Liv, you're your own person! You choose what you want to do." Lloyd says. Liv laughs, stepping back.

"Our choices have never been our own." Liv huffs. "Lloyd my _mind _isn't even my own! Nonetheless my choices!"

Lloyd stops right there, his head swimming with questions. "What do you mean, 'your mind isn't your own?'"

"You thought you stopped the ceremony, didn't you. Dad is in my mind! I can feel his feelings and thoughts. Lloyd, he will destroy you if you don't join us!" Liv yells, shaking Lloyd's shoulders. "You need to see reason. This isn't a bad thing, Lloyd. We get our dad back! Isn't that what you wanted?"

Lloyd shakes his head, trying to comprehend the fact that his father is in Liv's head. "What I want is you!" Lloyd says, laughing breathlessly. "I just want my sister."

Liv smiles, her eyes glistening with tears. "You don't want _me, _Lloyd." Liv says. "You need to choose, Lloyd."

Lloyd shakes his head fervently. He will not choose. He's done choosing between his family and the city. He deserves to have his family. And Liv deserves her's, too.

"I will not."

"You _must_!"

The two twins stare at each other. _'He won't see reason.' _Garmadon says in Livs head. _'Let me take over.' _

Liv turns away from Lloyd. "No, give me more time." She pleads. Lloyd looks at her in confusion.

'_You're going to let me take control, or I'll do it by force.' _

Liv turns to Lloyd with an apologetic expression. "Don't tell me I didn't warn you." Liv sighs, closing her eyes. When they open, they're a brilliant shade of scarlet. Lloyd backs up, his fists powering up. Liv smirks, her own powers lighting up her hands.

"It was foolish to come here." Liv says, her voice echoing off the prison walls. Lloyd blinks in confusion before realization dawns on him. Just like Morro. Lloyd thinks.

"You've - you've changed." Garmadon says, studying Lloyd with a critical eye.

"I didn't come here to fight." Lloyd says again. Can't he go anywhere without having to battle someone? He came for answers, and with the hopes that he could turn his sister. That's literally all he wanted. Now he's gotta battle his basically possesed twin sister.

Just his-

Without warning, Liv lungs at him, slamming her fist into the concrete where Lloyd once stood. Lloyd rolled, flashes of green lighting up his chest that Lloyd vaguely notes as new. Liv runs at him again, and Lloyd jumps up to the second level of the prison.

"Please, Liv! This isn't you!" Lloyd yells, looking down on his sister.

"This is the new me!" Liv retorts, fist clenching.

Lloyd only has a moment of pause before he's dodging blasts of dark energy. Leaping up the levels of the prison like that_ Donkey Kong _game Cole likes to play. Lloyd jumps down from the third level, standing behind his sister.

"I _didn't _come to_ fight you_." Lloyd says again. "My sister is somewhere in there. You saved me, now i'll save you."

Garmadon growls through Liv. "There is _nothing _left to save!" Panic flashes through Lloyd as Liv runs at him, fist blazing. Lloyd tries to summon a shield of green energy, but his twin's too fast. He barely manages to jump out of the way as she slams her fist into the prisons watch tower.

"I've played many roles." Garmadon says, fist powering up with Liv's dark energy. Garmadon hurls the orbs at Lloyd, hitting him square in the chest. Lloyd's torso lights up with golden sparks, protecting him from the blasts. Liv screams in her mind, but no one can hear her pleas. She has no choice but to watch through eyes that are no longer her's.

Lloyd sends a small blast of green energy at Liv, but the blast is absorbed by her powers. Garmadon sends a third sphere of dark energy at Lloyd. Pain erupts in his chest as the breath is knocked from him.

"Worn many masks." Garmadon whispers, deathly calm as he walks closer towards Lloyd, who's steadily backing up.

"Father."

A fourth blast.

"Husband."

A fifth blast.

"Brother."

Sixth.

"Teacher!"

By the seventh blast, Lloyd's whole body aches. Every movement sends waves of pain through him. Gasping, Lloyd stumbles to his feet. This was definitely not how he thought this would go. He really, really didn't think it'd get this physical. Every blast he sends at Liv doesn't even phase her! How is that fair? While Lloyd's sitting over here, feeling like he's about to _die-_

"But only one was summoned back!" Garmadon says. Lloyd makes a run for it, trying to put ground between him and Liv. Garmadon sends a blast of dark energy at Lloyd that hits his left shoulder.

"Destroyer!" Garmadon growls. Lloyd cries out in pain as he's flung into the open cell behind him, hitting his head on the back wall with a loud, painful thud. Lloyd lies on the cot for a beat, eyes screwed shut to stop the stream of tears welling in them.

He really, really can't keep playing this game of dodgeball. Because he's losing. Lloyd's getting _crushed_. But he also didn't come here to fight, this is way more than what he signed up for. He knew this could be a trap but gosh _darn it_ he needed answers!

He could run.

Lloyd could run and never look back. He could summon his dragon and bust outta here. Leave his twin in the dust as he flies back to the bounty (Or maybe the hospital). Tell his friends that they were right and that he was wrong.

But another part of him is telling him to stay. That part of Lloyd that likes to be optimistic and hopeful. But he knows a giddy attitude isn't going to help him now. He needs to fight. And he needs to win the fight.

Lloyd didn't just come for answers. He came to show Liv that the light, no matter how dim or how small, is, and forever will be, brighter than the darkness. That the light can fill the blackest of hearts. Because Lloyd's light is bright enough.

It _has _to be bright enough.

Lloyd ran from the cell, head swimming at the sudden movement. He charges at Liv, hitting her in the shoulder. The girl doesn't even pay attention to the blow as she swings furiously at him. Faint purple flames began to grow around Liv, but they flickered in and out. Like a candle in the wind.

"Listen to me!" Lloyd grunts, locking Livs arm behind her. "Our father's using you as a pawn, Liv! Harumi's using you as a pawn!"

"You are the pawn!" Garmadon snarls, pointing an accusing finger at Lloyd. "A pawn to your own foolish hopes!" Lloyd aims another punch at Liv, but she blocks it with ease. Grabbing Lloyd by the collar and spinning him in a tight, swift circle.

Then she lets go.

And Lloyd promptly smashes straight through a concrete wall.

Lloyd barely has time to register that he's in the air before he collides with a hard, unforgiving wall. Sparks of gold light up around him as he goes through, but it barely helps. Nobody will ever know how _loud _Liv screams, tears pouring from her blood shot eyes as she hugs herself.

Lloyd coughs, choking on the dust as a hand strays to his ankle. The darn ankel that betrayed him in the final battle with the overlord.

Everything just _hurts. _

Lloyd grunts as he stands. Liv is striding towards him, the violet flames surrounding her flickering more violently. Lloyd gingerly tests his ankle, wincing as it buckles. Lloyd forces himself to stand. He powers a small ball of energy in his hands, it's weak and Lloyd knows it. The orb misses Liv by several feet. Liv charges, knocking Lloyd into the wall. Lloyd aims a punch to her stomach but Liv grabs his fist, holding her free hand above him, glowing with dark energy.

She knocks Lloyd's shoulder. _Hard._ Sending him careening into the center of the prison. Lloyd gasps again, struggling to get air through his battered chest. Liv's heart aches as Lloyd's eyes flicker from green to red. But Garmadon pushes her back down.

Lloyd stands, stumbling over his feet as he puts a hand to his chest. Trying to reign in his breath. Garmadon's snarls, clenching fists that aren't his. Lloyd looks at his sister. Memories flashing in his mind.

He didn't come here to fight.

But his words will be heard through his fist.

Closing his eyes, Lloyd forces his fist to light up with green energy. He swung his fist, a trail of golden sparks followed the movement. The flames around Liv grew, as she snarled. Golden sparks lit up around Lloyd's chest, bright and firm as he yells. Running at his sister, Lloyd threw everything he had into his powers. He let all his anger, all his fear, he let it all fuel him.

As the two twins battled, Liv could feel Lloyd's words in his punches. Liv tries harder to regain control, because someone is going to die if she doesn't stop this. More energy was pulled from Liv as Garmadon continued to use her powers.

But then Liv realized that she could feel, actually _feel _Loyd's words through his green energy powered punches. Twin telepathy! She thought. Liv closed her eyes, trying to force the green energy that's hidden itself away inside of her into Lloyd.

Lloyd powered up a blast of green energy, he sent the blast at Liv, who countered it with a ball of dark energy. A small explosion threw both twins back, dazed, Lloyd blinked the spots from his tired eyes. He looked down at his hands, briefly studying the bright golden sparks dancing within the emerald ball. Liv stumbled to her feet, brushing dust from her shoulder and powering up a vivid, violet ball of dark energy. Lloyd looks closer into the vivid ball of dark energy. It would've been hard to spot the small green sparks in the center if Lloyd wasn't looking specifically for them.

"_Your green energy is what balances out my dark energy."_

Lloyd gasps as he recalls that conversation with Liv. After the jade palace was destroyed. He thought harder, absentmindedly dodging his sister's attacks. _"Dark energy and green energy are polar opposites, they repel each other."_

Lloyd remembers the small explosion that happened when Liv and Lloyd both used their powers at the same time, remembers Liv telling him that the green energy in her balances her out. _"You need to be focused when using our powers at the same time so we don't blow up half the country."_

Lloyd laughs, breathlessly. "I knew you were in there somewhere." He whispers.

'_I'm so sorry, Lloyd. This is all my fault. You have to stop dad. You have to stop me. Use your powers, forget being concentrated, I honestly couldn't care less if we blew up the city anymore.'_ Liv's words - her real words, not Garmadon tampered words, rang in Lloyd's head as he continued to fight Garmadon. The purple flames flickered more violently, swiftly going in and out, in and out.

'_I know you can stop me, Lloyd. The light is stronger than the darkness. Your light is stronger than my darkness. I see that now.' _Lloyd holds onto the words like a lifeline. He can slowly feel Liv's green energy bleeding into him, giving him a power boost.

Liv grunts as she forces her green energy into Lloyd. She doesn't have much of it. She never did. But now all she can hope for is that it's enough to help Lloyd. She can slowly feel her consciousness fading as she pushes the last of her green energy out to Lloyd.

Lloyd rolls out of the way as Garmadon slams his stolen fists into the concrete where Lloyd once stood. By now Lloyd is beyond tired. He knows that Liv is trying to help him in any way that she can. Twin telepathy. He thinks with a chuckle.

Garmadon hurls stolen orbs of dark energy at Lloyd, the orbs hit him in the shoulder. Sparks of gold flash around him. Lloyd honestly thinks the sparks are for show, because they're starting to hurt him more than they help him. He yells as Liv grabs him again, hurling him a few feet away.

At least it wasn't another wall, Lloyd thinks as he skids to a stop. Gold flashing brightly around him. He closes his eyes, considering just letting his eyes close and not open back up. Because Lloyd is tired and in pain and just wants it to go _away_-

Liv is throwing chunks of cement at him now. And Lloyd barely has enough energy left to block them. The power boost that Liv was giving him as long since faded out, and he can no longer feel her. He can only feel his father. Angry and dark. He can't feel Liv. Not anymore.

Lost in thought, Lloyd doesn't see the third chunk of cement hurled at him before it's colliding with his ribcage. He coughs as the air is knocked from him, rolling to his side. He stands, looking around frantically for-

Garmadon.

Lloyd struggles as Liv holds him by the collar, his feet kicking uselessly below him. Flashes of gold that just _hurt _light up around Lloyd, and he briefly closes his eyes, trying hard to _not _focus. Panting, Lloyd forces the last of his energy into a small shock wave of golden sparks. The shockwave hits Liv in the stomach, sending her to the floor. She drops Lloyd in the process, and the ninja falls to the floor.

Lloyd blinks rapidly, trying to stay awake. He slowly sits up, groaning at the ache in his chest. More sparks light up around his torso, and Lloyd stifles a cry. He limps over towards Liv's still form, studying her calm expression.

In her mind, Liv is anything but calm. She could feel her father's mind being pushed back, and she could feel the energy that Lloyd had used to do it. Forcing her eyes to just open, she hazily looked up at Lloyd with eyes that were her own and a mind that had no voices but her's.

"...Lloyd?" She says.

Lloyd smiles, his eyes glassy. Liv brings a shaky hand to his face, wiping away the blood on his split lip. Lloyd chuckles, sliding his tongue across his lips and grimacing at the metallic taste of blood.

"You're a mess." Liv laughs, wetly.

"Yeah, well, fighting dad was never really easy." He sighs. Liv nods, moving to sit up. Lloyd helps her. Liv looks at him with apologetic eyes, before she launches herself at him, hugging him gently.

"I'm sorry!" She cries. Lloyd strokes her hair. "I should've listened to you, Lloyd! I was so stupid, so so stupid-" Liv pauses as she feels Garmadon in her head again. Lloyd must've felt it, too. Because he looks at Liv with pleading eyes.

"Can you resist him?" He says.

"I've been trying to do that this whole time!" Liv says, holding her head. Lloyd looks on in worry.

Liv steals herself, pulling herself from Lloyd. "Get out of here." She says, firmly. Lloyd blinks in confusion.

"What?"

"Leave!" Liv yells, hauling Lloyd to his feet. "I can't hold him for long, you have to get out of here or he'll kill you, Lloyd!"

Lloyd shakes his head, gingerly pulling her hands from where they dig into her skull. "I told you before, I'll never be afraid of you. I'm not leaving, not without you."

"Lloyd!" Liv huffs, her eyes pleading. "You can't save me, not tonight. I've been a monster. Let me make up for my mistakes. Let me be the hero today." Her eyes are watery now as she smiles shakily at Lloyd. "So you can be the hero tomorrow."

Lloyd shakes his head, but it's with less force. He came for answers and he still wants them. "But I need to ask you something!" He says, hastily.

Liv sighs, darn this kid and his questions! What must she do to get him to _leave-_

"Why didn't you want to know me." Lloyd says, looking up at her sister and shifting his weight.

Liv bites her lip. Darn it. He had to ask _that _question. "It's not that I didn't want to know you." Liv says. Lloyd nods his head, urging Liv to continue before she can't. "I - was stupid as a kid. And I thought you'd see me as a monster. So I decided to push you away before you could push me." Liv says, sounding ashamed. Lloyd looks at her for a beat.

Lloyd sees himself in Liv.

"That's - That's exactly what I did when I first met the guys." Lloyd says, laughing at the memory. Liv smiles.

"But that still doesn't mean what I did was right." Liv sighs. "I shouldn't have made that choice for you."

"It's okay." Lloyd says, taking Liv's hand and giving it a tight squeeze. "I've had a lot of choices made for me. I'm just glad you had the decency to apologize."

The two twins laugh softly. Falling into a comfortable silence. Kryptarium prison is quiet as the two sit. Liv winces, standing up. Lloyd follows, looking at her in worry. Liv turns around, hands pulling at her hair as she fights for control. Her eyes flash from red to green, red to green. Before they finally settle on her natural jade green.

"You have to leave, now." Liv whispers, looking at Lloyd.

"I can help you!" He says, shaking his head. "You said that my green energy can balance out your dark energy. I can give you a power boost just like you did to me."

"Lloyd, that's not going to work forever. It will only hold him back for so long and you know it!" Liv argues, her eyes flashing with her temper.

"Then we'll find a way to fix it." Lloyd counters, bringing Liv into a tight hug. "I'm not going to lose you again when I know I can help."

Warm tears soak Lloyd shoulder as Liv cries. Clutching the back of Lloyd's gi. She takes notice of the dark stains of blood. And the way Lloyd hold's his right ankle above the ground. "Lloyd, you don't know what that will do to you. You're already hurt and it's my fault." Liv says, quietly. "Let someone save you for a change."

Lloyd pulls back, looking at his sister. She flashes him a shaky smile. Lloyd turns on his heel. Ignoring the stabs of pain in his ankle as he runs from Kryptarium.

Liv breathes a sigh of relief as Lloyds silhouette disappears around a corner. She slowly lowers herself to the ground, breathing heavily while her father screams in her mind.

'_Why did you let him escape?!' _Garmadon yells.

"Why did you throw him through a wall?" Liv retorts, her tone bitter. Garmadon scoffs.

'_I did what needed to be done in order to unlock my true potential. You said you would let me defeat him if Lloyd failed to see reason.'_

"You were going to kill him!" Liv screams, standing up. "You were going to force the entire city to watch as you _slaughtered _him!"

Garmadon lets out a growl, aiming punches at the invisible barrier keeping him from his daughter's mind. Liv yelps as he pounds down the barrier. She forces more strength into it, anything to keep her father out.

'_I told you I would take control by force if I had to.' _He says, deathly calm as the barrier cracks.

* * *

Lloyd pressed himself against a wall, straining to hear what Liv was saying. It sounded like she was arguing with someone, but Lloyd couldn't hear anyone but her. Look, he knows he told her he would leave.

But Lloyd's Lloyd.

He wouldn't leave Kai or Nya or any of his brothers behind. And even if he's been beyond angry with his twin, he's not going to leave her, either.

"...You were going to force the entire city to watch as you _slaughtered _him!" Lloyd stifles a bitter laugh. Of course Harumi would do something like that. Broadcast his defeat to the whole city. Well, it's not like Lloyd has any dignity left.

Something like barely restrained screaming reaches Lloyd's ears. He cranes his neck over the wall to see what was going on. Liv was on the ground, fingers wrapped in her hair as she groans on the floor. Lloyd's fist clenched at the sight.

He already knows what's happening.

Liv's losing.

Lloyd's fists glow with golden/green energy. He doesn't care what the consequences are. His sister is _suffering _for him. Slowly losing herself to the darkness just to protect him. Mind made up, Lloyd sprints from the corner he'd hidden behind, crouching down next to Liv.

She meets his gaze with hazy, tired eyes. "Lloyd?" She says, her expression morphing into panic. "I-I told you to l-leave."

"I'm the younger twin." Lloyd says as he pulls Liv close to him, hugging her to his chest. "The rules don't apply to me." He closes his eyes, trying to focus his energy into Liv. His twin relaxs a bit, letting Lloyd's energy bring balance to her.

A faint golden glow surrounds the two as Lloyd forces his power into his sister. Liv could feel the barrier she'd put up in her mind to block out her father rebuilding itself. Liv relaxed even more into Lloyd as his powers reached every dark corner of her soul, replacing dark energy with green.

"Okay, Lloyd. Stop, stop." Liv says, softly.

Lloyd ignores her, continuing to push his power into her.

"Lloyd stop it." Liv says, a little more forcefully. When she sees that he's not stopping, Liv grabs Lloyds hands, placing them on his chest, forcing him to push the green energy into himself.

"Stop it, Lloyd! You're hurting yourself." Liv says. Lloyd's face is uncharacteristically pale, the green in his eyes slowly bleeding away. He blinks a few times until the green comes back.

"I was fine. Let me keep going."

Liv shakes her head. "It's okay, Lloyd. I don't feel him anymore. You've given enough."

Lloyd looks like he's about to protest, but at that exact moment, one of the prison walls exploded, acting on instinct, Liv forms a shield around the two. Protecting them from the blast.

Five silhouettes break through the cloud of smoke. Weapons drawn and hoods up.

"Lloyd!" Screams Kai, waving his hand to clear the dust. Liv lowers the shield, standing back as the ninja swarm over to Lloyd.

"What were you thinking?! Rushing here like that!" Nya chastises. Lloyd shrinks under their combined stares. After a good five minutes of making sure they're youngest brother got the jist that the ninja weren't happy with him, but glad that he was okay (mostly), they turned their attention towards Liv.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do." Kai says, glaring.

"Chill, Kai." Lloyd says, standing next to Liv. The ninja still look weary of her, but they back off.

"We saw it all on the tv." Zane says, smiling softly at Liv. "We are glad you were able to regain control against your father."

Liv laughs, almost breathlessly. "Yeah I am-"

The blondes sentence is cut off mid word. Liv's eyes rolled back into her head as she crumpled to the ground. Startling the ninja. Lloyd's at her side in an instant, shaking her shoulders fervently. Zane steps toward Liv, running a diagnostics.

"What's wrong with her, Zane?" Jay says, griping Nya's arm.

"There is something present in her mind. Similar to when Morro had possessed Lloyd." Zane answers. Lloyd stifles a curse as he powers his fist with golden/green energy. The glow of his powers flickers out, and Lloyd bumps his fist together, trying to get them to come back. The ninja stare at him in sympathy as his power fades in and out.

With a forceful push, Lloyd brings his powers back up. Placing a hand on Liv's forehead. He forces the green power into Liv. Trying to bring back the balance. Lloyd steps back after a while, breathing heavily and rubbing his temples.

"You okay, Lloyd?" Kai says, worriedly. Lloyd nods, eyeing Liv.

Liv's eyes shoot open, brilliant jade green orbs meeting Lloyd's tired emerald. He breathed a sigh of relief, but it was too soon. Liv's eyes turn a bloody scarlet, setting the ninja on edge. Lloyd springs to his feet, trying to call up elemental powers that won't listen.

Liv sends a wave of dark energy out around the prison, sending the ninja back. She forms an elemental tether, the rope laches around Lloyd's ankle, swiftly pulling him towards his corrupted twin. Kai reaches out to grab Lloyd, he curses as his fingers just fall short of Lloyd's hood.

Green energy flickers around Lloyd, bringing small cries from him. He thought his power was supposed to _heal _him. Panting, Lloyd looks up at his sisters angry, scarlet eyes. His heart breaks when he doesn't feel Liv. The blond girl puts up a blockade of dark energy around her and Lloyd as the ninja start to stand.

Kai runs up to the barrier, pounding on it fiercely. He's soon joined by the rest of the ninja, shooting blasts of elemental powers at the shield. Liv looks at them like they're mere flies. She grabs Lloyd by the collar, holding him in the air. Lloyd brings a fist down on her arm, causing her to wince and drop him to the floor. More golden/green sparks dance around Lloyd at the impact.

Lloyd swings his fist at Liv, who dodges them effortlessly. Easily throwing punches at Lloyd at speeds that seem inhuman even to him. It feels like he's underwater. His friends' voices muffled and distorted. It feels like a haze as settled over Lloyd's mind as every punch aimed at him brings a flash of green sparks that just hurt.

Liv lands a solid, dark energy powered fist to Lloyd's skull. Stars erupt behind Lloyd's eyelids as he stumbles back. Throwing one last, half-hearted punch. Liv knocks his head again, causing Lloyd's head to droop, blood trickling down into his eyes. She grabs his arm, twisting it behind his back. Lloyd grunts, struggling to pull his arm free. This only causes Liv's grip to tighten, the violet flames surrounding her again.

"You wouldn't hurt me." Lloyd says, speaking to his father through Liv in a last ditch effort to save himself. "Your son."

Garmadon looks Lloyd dead in the eye. Using Liv's other hand to grab Lloyd's shoulder. "I have no son." Garmadon spits. Lloyd's face crumples, his breath speeding up. Because all his life, all he had was his father. No matter how corrupt he was, no matter how much darkness was inside him, Lloyd was always his son.

But now… Now he's truly lost his father.

Liv twirls, growling as she spins Lloyd in a tight circle. She swiftly lets go of Lloyd, sending him crashing yet again through another wall. Lloyd screams as he collides with wall after wall. The green energy inside him has completely turned against him, every time it lights up around his chest sends waves of pain through him.

Lloyd goes through about four walls before he's graced with the cloudless, starry night sky. He screams as he flies through the air before he gets a mouthful of sand and dirt. His body on fire, Lloyd slowly - painfully slowly, drags himself through the sand, gasping for breath that just won't come.

He finally runs out of energy to keep going. Green sparks of pain weakly lighting up his chest. Lloyd forces himself to turn on his back so he can stare up into the night sky, tears clouding his eyes. He could faintly hear the ninja's screams of rage.

Staring at the starry night sky, Lloyd calls up something that Nya had told him a lifetime ago when he was younger.

'_If you ever need to cry, look up at the night sky. Then your tears won't fall, and the stars will make you smile.'_

He's looking up at the sky. But his tears still fall. He's looking at the stars.

But he still can't smile.

* * *

**I'm so sorry. This is not a happy chapter. That's my favorite quote and I just don't know where I got it from. So, haha, this took a turn. I was going to end it happy with Lloyd using his brain and leaving, but then I remembered that quote and just had to. **

**So quick little fyi, when Lloyd thought that Garmadon had been balanced out by his powers, Garmadon was actually just waiting until Liv had her guard down to strike and take control.**

**Next time: Liv has lost the battle for control. And while the ninja are distracted with Lloyd, The sons of Garmadon begin their conquest.**

**_GreenGirl~_**


	19. Waking up (But reality is worse)

**It takes two **

**Chapter 19**

**Waking up (But reality is worse)**

**PrincePacman47: Garmadon and Liv are definitely both trying to take control for completely different reasons, but both of them are equally determined to defeat the other. Lloyd is Lloyd. A self-sacrificing moron. He would rather die for his sister then have her die for him. In Lloyd's mind, Liv has suffered enough, but in Liv's mind, she has yet to make up for her mistakes. One of the things I love about this show is the relationship the ninja have with each other. It's honestly just nothing but incredible. **

**Thank you to everyone who's stuck with this story for so long. Especially since my writing wasn't the best in the beginning. I'm shocked at how far i've made it in this story, so thank you thank you thank you :'D**

* * *

_So,_ Harumi decides after she's made sure that the fight between Liv and Lloyd was placed on repeat. That was not at all what she was expecting. She may or may not have recorded Lloyd getting smashed through a wall on her phone.

But she knows for sure that Liv is not happy about her current...situation. Harumi doesn't know how she feels about it, either. She wanted to rule ninjago with Liv. And sure, she technically still is. But it'll just take a little getting used too, that's all.

And she should probably address the raging ninja that she currently has locked up in a vengestone cell. Because Cole looks like he's going to make balloon animals out of the bars, Kai's trying to burn her with his eyes, Nya looks ready to strangle her, the lights have began to flicker eerily (Courtesy of Jay), and Zane has a deathly calm look that promises murder.

Liv (Or is it Garmadon?) struts past the ninja towards the gaping hole in the wall. A light breeze pulls at her hair, and to Harumi's surprise, Liv shudders. The blond girl is staring out into the night with an unreadable expression. When Liv turns around, her eyes have a flicker of utter despair and heartbreak.

Harumi feels a pang of guilt. Lloyd and Liv are family. No matter what side they're on. And Liv is Harumi's friend. But Harumi desperately wants to pitch her best friend's brother off a cliff.

The ninja are screaming at Liv, but she pays them no mind. Glowing flames of violet dancing around her. She spares the ninja a reluctant glance, then looks to Harumi. Then towards the whole in the wall. Harumi knows exactly what Liv's trying to say. Harumi thinks it is a terrible idea. And she can tell that Garmadon is not happy about what Liv's trying to do. So Harumi could just ignore the pleading spark in Liv's eyes. Liv nods toward the cell again, and Harumi curses before turning to free the raging ninja.

Zane wastes no time encasing Harumi in ice. The Quiet One shivers violently as the bitter cold frost glazes over her. The ninja are soon all up in her face, shouting threats with looks of utter fury. Liv jumps to the third level of the prison, staring down on the entire exchange.

"I'm going to kill you." Kai says, rage laced thickly into every syllable. Harumi doesn't doubt it.

"You're wasting time~" Liv bellows in a sing-song voice. The ninja simultaneously look up at the blond.

"You-" Nya yells, hurling orbs of water at the corrupted teen. "You disgusting little son of a-!" A ball of water punctuates every venom filled word. The water just splashes to the ground, not a drop wasted on Liv.

"Oh, enough with the dramatics." Liv chuckles, hopping down from the third level and striding over towards the ninja. Harumi doesn't know if Liv's the bravest person she's ever met, or the stupidest.

"I'll show you dramatics!" Cole yells, hurling chunks of rock at Liv. The rocks _hit _her, but they didn't _hit _her hit her. Instead, a flurry of violet lights up around her chest, destroying the rocks on impact. Liv just dusts her shoulder off mockingly.

"Every second you spend fighting with me." Liv says, gesturing towards the destroyed wall. "Is a second lost to save your dear green ninja."

The ninja instantly pale, looking from one another in worry.

"We will be back for you." Zane says, looking pointedly at Liv before sprinting towards their fallen brother. One by one the ninja turn away, glaring at the two blond teens the whole way. The lightning ninja, Jay, was the last to leave. Studying Liv with a sorrowful expression before turning to leave.

Liv's rooted to the ground for a beat before shaking her head. She eyes Harumi, amusement gleaming in her heartbroken eyes. She walks over, places a dark energy powered hand on Harumi's shoulder, and the ice melts away. Harumi shivers again, trying her best to hide it.

"I'll have goons clean this puddle up, Liv. And then we can start-"

"My name is not Liv."

Harumi blinks. The blond in front of her shoots Harumi a stern glance. "I believe that you have potential to be a great leader in my plan, Harumi." Liv says, walking a small circle around the Quiet One. "But, nevertheless, you will have no part in my conquest if you can not address your ruler by their name."

Harumi swiftly bows, her long, snowy white hair touching the floor. "My apologies, Lord Garmadon. Shall we start looking for a way to grant you physical form?"

Lord Garmadon smirks, motioning for Harumi to stand and follow. "I do not think that will be necessary." The dark lord lights his fist with the stolen powers of his daughter. "I think this body will do just fine."

* * *

The ninja race to Lloyd where he lies in the dirt, curled on his side, eyes screwed shut in pain. Kai wanted nothing more than to pull his little brother into a tight embrace, to let him know that he's going to be _okay._

"_Lloyd-" _Kai says, he's about to reach for him, but Cole puts a firm arm in front of him. His eyes soft, but pained. He slowly shakes his head, and Kai's face falls. His brother is so hurt that they can't even touch him. He's so hurt by the person that Kai had thought would always protect him. Always have Lloyds best interest in mind. Lloyd was destroyed by his own father in the body of his twin sister.

Everyone stands frozen. No one wants to tear their gaze away from Lloyd, but desperately wanting to look away at the same time. At last, Cole finally speaks up, taking his place as leader.

"Alright, guys. We gotta get to work and we gotta work fast. Zane and Nya, you guys get the bounty, get the med bay ready and get here as fast as you can. Me and Jay will keep watch in case any SoG decide to come down here. Kai, you stay with Lloyd."

The ninja nod. Following their substitute leaders orders for the sake of their brother. Nya and Zane run at top speeds towards the bounty. Zane's nindroid status gives him the one up on Nya, but she summons twin jets of water to her hands, using them to propel her forward. They didn't leave the bounty far, she can already see it. But right now, their flying ship feels millions of miles away.

Cole could've easily told Pixal to bring the bounty to them, it'd be faster. But Nya's thankful he didn't. As much as Nya wants to stay with Lloyd right now, it just breaks her heart to see him like that. She's never seen him like that. Beaten to a bloody pulp that his elemental powers turned against him by his sister no less. So Nya pushed her power to push her farther, to push her faster. Because she needs to help Lloyd as fast as possible. And right now, that's not standing still like a useless stone, feeling like her world just ended (Even though it feels like it has), Nya needs to help Lloyd by being on her feet and moving.

Cole and Jay slowly walk away from Kai and their fallen brother. The two are lost in their own thoughts. Cole speaks up again, bumping Jay's shoulder.

"What a night." He says, sighing heavily and running a hand through his jet black locks.

Jay gives a huffing sort of laugh. Kicking up dirt as he walks. "You don't say." He says. The two fall silent for a beat, then, "Do you really think Lord Garmadons back? Didn't we stop the ceremony?"

"I dunno." Cole breaths. "I mean, Zane did say something was in her head. And we all saw Lloyd and Liv fight. What they said to each other…" Cole stops, dragging his foot in the dirt absentmindedly.

"And besides, we - well, more likely you know Liv better than any of us, even Lloyd. And I don't think that you think Liv would willingly chuck her brother through a wall." Cole slings an arm over Jay's shoulder. It's been a long, somewhat confusing, stressful night.

Kai leans back on his elbows, staring down on his brother. The rise and fall of Lloyds blood stained chest is too fast and choppy to mean anything good. Kai mentally kicks himself, he keeps promising that he'll look out for Lloyd, that he'll always be there for Lloyd, that he'll protect Lloyd.

And every. Single. Time!

He fails!

Kai continuously fails to protect his little brother! He couldn't protect him from Pythor, he couldn't protect him from the tomorrow's tea, he couldn't protect him from the Overlord, he couldn't protect him from Morro, he couldn't protect him from the Quiet One, he couldn't protect him from his father.

Kai's never been able to protect Lloyd from his father. Whether physically, or mentally.

Kai gingerly moves a strand of damp, blond hair from Lloyds face, weak, pitiful sparks light up around him, trying to create some form of protection. Lloyd seizes, a heart wrenching cry tearing from his slip lips. Kai bits down on the inside of his cheek, watching as the sparks flutter and die.

The fire ninja kicks himself again. Because Lloyds powers are supposed to help him, not tear him apart. His powers tried so hard to protect him, but in the end, it was all for nothing. Lloyds stretched himself too thin, pushed too hard. And Kai should've seen this coming!

Because Lloyd is Lloyd.

Kai's bratty little brother with a bleeding heart and pure soul and a gentle smile and kind eyes and just a small innocent _child in a world of big bads-_

"...Kai! Calm down! It's okay - breath, Kai, breath!" Someone - no, not someone - Cole, shouts into Kai's ear. Kai chokes back a sob, reeling his emotions in check and rubbing furiously at his eyes. Cole and Jay stand worriedly next to him.

"You okay, Kai?" Jay asks.

Kai nods, swiping at his eyes one last time. A bright light suddenly shines down on the three standing ninja. The bounty's shadow looms over them. It's just like Zane, Kai thinks. Kai, Jay and Cole gingerly pick Lloyd up from the dirt, more sparks lit up his chest, making Lloyd whimper softly, the three ninjas carefully place Lloyd delicately on the gurney, and Pixal slowly brings him up.

Nya lowers down a rope ladder to the three ninja on the ground, and they hastily climb up. Nya doesn't stick around though, Jay pulls the ladder back up while Nya and Pixal finish setting up the med bay. Kai doesn't leave Lloyds side, Cole helps Nya and Pixal in any way that he can, Jay stands awkwardly off to the side and Zane sets the bounty on autopilot so he can assist Lloyd. But it's useless in the long run. Because the ninja don't have the right medical tools that'll help their leader.

* * *

"We've gotta get him to a hospital." Nya says, softly as she dabs Lloyds forehead with a warm rag. Zane set a course for Ninjago city, but no one knows where to go from there. Nya knows they have to get Lloyd to a hospital, but she doesn't think he'll make it.

The bounty's gone quiet. No one says anything else. They just sit and wait for Lloyd to wake up.

* * *

The sun has just barely begun to peak over the horizon. Banishing the dark and the cold and replacing it with light and warmth. If only the new day could wash away the terrors of the night. Even with the brightest light, you'll still see the darkest shadows.

* * *

About two hours after they'd gotten Lloyd, after the sun had cast the land into that quiet early morning vibe, that's when Lloyd began to stir. Heads shot up from where they lent on half asleep teammates towards the green ninja. Lloyd continued to stir on their terrible excuse of a sick bed. Green-ish gold sparks dancing around him as he did.

"Lloyd?" Zane says, gently, standing up and walking over to Lloyd.

Lloyd doesn't answer, doesn't open his eyes. But he still stirs.

"Lloyd." Zane tries again.

He's met with the same silence.

Pixal places a hand on Zane's shoulder, Nya places her hand in Jays and squeezes. Kai leans his head back, letting it thump quietly on the wall, and Cole crosses his arms, stretching out his legs and screwing his eyes shut.

* * *

It's dark.

That's the only thing that he can really complain about. He's not in pain, he's not stuck under the night's starry gaze. But most importantly, he doesn't feel that agonizing pain that had coursed throughout his body with every breath. He didn't feel that empty sensation when he tried to call up his green, he doesn't feel so _scared_.

But he'd thought everything was going so well. He'd talked her down, right? Hadn't he convinced her that there was a way to help her? Hadn't he used what's left of his green to heal her?

Did he not save her?

There's something tugging at him, telling him that he has to do something. But he doesn't know what that thing is. He longs to fall back into blissful unconsciousness, but something won't let him fall back under. Something keeps him from falling asleep.

Something keeps him from dying.

It's not his power, he knows that. His power is just hurting him now. And it's not himself, he'd welcome death rather than live with this pain. So if it's not him that's keeping him alive…

Then who is it?

'_Wake up.' _

He doesn't want to wake up. He knows he's being childish, but he can't help it. This darkness feels better than waking up in that pain.

'_Wake up!' _

Why should he listen? Why would anyone want him to go back? He was alone out there under the stars. He was in pain under the stars. He watched several shooting stars fly above him, but not one of them granted him any wish.

Suddenly, he wasn't in the pitch black emptiness anymore, but back under the stars. He sits up, and is astonished when he feels no pain. It's quiet out. He can't hear the raged scream from the prison, there's no gaping hole in the wall anymore, and-

He's not alone.

In the dirt not far from him, a blond girl lies. He slowly walks towards the girl, standing next to her. The girl doesn't turn her head, just continues to stare up at the stars.

He decides to lie down next to her.

"The sky is beautiful tonight." The girl says.

"Yeah." He replies. "It is."

"You must wake up." The girl continues.

"Says who?"

The girl turns her head to face him. "Says me." She says. "Says your family. You have a job to do. And you can't do it from here."

He looks at the girl next to him. His emerald eyes are quizzical. "What if I don't _want _to do my job?"

The girl looks at him again, surprisingly, she takes his hand. Holding on to it tightly. "There was a time when I didn't want to do my job. I ran from my responsibilities." She sighs. "And now I'm paying for my mistakes. I will not let you make the same mistake as me."

The girl stands, pulling him up with her. Their green eyes meet, the girls eyes reflect a sense of resignation. Like she's accepted something important. His eyes reflect stubbornness. He doesn't want to go back.

"Go." She says, pressing her forehead into his. "Don't be like me."

"But I am like you. We're both stuck here. And…" He studies the girl in front of him. They're remarkably similar. "And we both have blond hair and green eyes."

The girl laughs. "You're not like me." She whispers, looking up at him. "You're better."

And with that, the girl was gone. And he was plunged back into the dark, empty void.

* * *

"Okay - Okay… We'll be there, Misako." Nya says as she hangs up the phone. She'd told them to go to Mystake's tea shop, and Nya is hoping against hope that they'll make it. Kryptarium prison is ridiculously far from Ninjago city. It would take them at least two hours to get to the citys edge, Mystakes tea shop was in the heart of the city.

Nya stepped back into the med bay, wiping her eyes. "Misako says we need to take him to Mystakes." She informs, leaning on Jay.

"That will take too long." Zane says. "Lloyds medical state is delicate at most. I do not think he will survive the trip back to the city."

"We need to do all we can here." Kai interjects, his eyes rove over Lloyds still form. The blond groans, all eyes turning towards him. "Is he waking up?"

Zane looks at Kai for a beat before his eyes flash a bright blue. "He is."

Relief flooded through the ninja. The ominous 'what if' had loomed over them like a cloud. But now that Lloyd was waking up… Well, progress. It's just progress. Pixal continued to dab a warm rag on Lloyds forehead.

A couple minutes later, Lloyd's eyes slowly creeped open. Kai laughs, calling the others over with a shout of, "He's awake!" The rest of the ninja hurried into the med bay, just in time to see a dazed Lloyd slowly try and slide to his feet. Kai pushed him back down.

Lloyd looks around blearily, his eyes focusing and unfocusing. Nya ran over to him, taking his hand in hers.

"Did it -" Lloyd starts, but a flurry of sparks light up his chest. He coughs violently, blood drips from his mouth. Lloyd wipes away the blood from his mouth with a shaky hand, his hand came back with more blood than was normal.

"Did...it...work?" Lloyd says, gasping with each word. Nya shushes him, squeezing his hand. No one needs to ask what Lloyd's talking about. But no one has the guts to say that it didn't. That Lloyds just lost his sister. No one can bring themselves to just tell him.

But apparently, no one needs to. Lloyds face falls, and he slams his head into the table he's laying on. Everyone quickly rushes towards Lloyd, trying to stop him from hurting himself more than he already has.

They manage to stop Lloyd from smashing his head into the table, but he's crying. Shouting and in far more pain than anyone understands. Kai's never understood Lloyds ability to love people who've hurt him so much. But he guesses it's like him and Skylor.

Lloyds cries echo faintly off the bounty's halls. Nya runs her fingers through Lloyds sweaty blond locks. His breaths were shallow and short, and his eyes were bloodshot and puffy. "You're gonna be okay." She says. "We're gonna make sure she's okay, too. I promise."

* * *

"How far out are we?" Cole asks, biting the inside of his cheek.

"Closer, but still too far." Pixal answers, somberly.

"I'll say it again: 'We have to do all we can here.'" Kai says, sounding like he wants to sleep for a month. Everyone's eyes flick to Lloyd, he'd wanted to be sitting up, so they propped him up on a bunch of pillows.

"What do you need? Tell us and we'll get it." Nya states, standing up with a determined gaze.

Zane smiles. "Needles, thread, damp rags, and a water basin."

Everyone rushes to fill Zanes needs, scrambling around the bounty gathering supplies. Once they had everything, they cramped it all into the med bay. Standing by in case Zane or Pixal needed them.

"We need to set his leg." Zane says, gesturing towards Lloyds leg. Which looked like someone had taken it and tried to make a balloon animal out of it. Pixal nods, giving Lloyd a wet rag to bite down on.

Lloyd stared at the rag for a beat before turning a suspicious eye on Zane. He still goes to bite down on the rag, but the minute Pixal's metal hand returns to his leg, the sparks build back up, jumping onto Pixal and filling her circuits with a green buzz. The android stumbles away, shocked. Literally.

Lloyd looks around with panicked eyes, he doesn't want to be hurt again. The rest of the ninja team file into the med bay to help, Kai takes Lloyds right and Nya takes his left. Cole goes to stand behind Kai and Jay goes behind Nya, trying to block Lloyd's line of sight.

Zane slowly rolled up Lloyd's sleeve, the green ninja instantly turned his head, sparks building as he saw the syringe in Zanes hands. Kai moves closer to block Lloyd from seeing Zane, the ninja huddle closer around Lloyd. Trying to keep him calm so Pixal and Nya could try their best to help him.

Zane slowly injected the morphine shot into Lloyds arm (It was all they had to sedate him with, sue them). After Zane had given him the shot, the process really began. The ninja talked to Lloyd, telling jokes and stories to keep his attention off Zane and Pixal. Lloyd groaned, his eyes rolling as Pixal set his broken leg.

A shock wave of green/gold sparks exploded around Lloyd, trying to protect him from the pain he was in. Lloyd cried out as his powers attempted to help. "Shh, shh. It's okay." Nya says, squeezing Lloyd's hand.

"Ninja never quit, Lloyd." Jay says. Lloyds pained eyes fall on him, and Jay quirks a smile. "Can you do that for us? Don't quit, buddy."

The hardest part was probably setting Lloyds leg. Cole, Kai, Jay, and Nya kept Lloyd busy while Zane and Pixal stitched him up. The mantra of 'Ninja never quit' seemed to be working well, and soon they were all chanting. Lloyd chanted, too. It was choppy and he often took shallow breaths between every word ("Broken ribs." Zane had said).

But Lloyd was smiling like he was going to be okay. Chanting like he wasn't on the brink of death. They all saw as the green bled from his irises, returning to their natural shade of scarlet. Of course, no one said anything.

* * *

Liv leans her head back on the walls of her prison. Her father had completely shut her out, blocked her off, cut her out. She's alone, and she hates it. Which is weird, because she's spent a lot of her life alone.

Now she'd give an arm and a leg just to talk to somebody.

The fight in Kryptarium was on replay in her mind, as Liv was sure it was also on replay in every TV in Ninjago. She'd failed at the one thing that she swore never to fail. Liv doesn't even try to fight back against him anymore. Doesn't even look through the eyes that are no longer her's anymore.

Because what else is there to see?

She'd freed the ninja, and that's all she could do. Now Liv found herself pondering her life up until now. Reflecting on all the decisions she's made. All the people she's lost and the friendships she's gained.

She'd gained Harumi. But Liv doesn't know where Harumi stands with her now. For all she knows, Harumi could've played Liv like she did Lloyd. Told her what she wanted to hear, and got Liv to let down walls she should've never built.

But she'd lost Lloyd. Which is by far her greatest loss. His blood is on her hands, now Liv has to live with the fact that she'd killed her own brother. Thrown him through several brick walls and beat him to a bloody pulp. What could he possibly see in her? How was a monster like her still worth saving? Still worth dying for?

That was still worth caring for?

Liv groaned as more of her power was drained from her by Garmadon. Hot tears streamed down her face as she curled into a ball as the pain came with the power drain. She could tell from the amount of power he'd taken, that her father was doing something big, but Liv couldn't bring herself to get up and look.

She'd seen enough.

When the pain stopped, Liv wanted it to come back. She needs something to take her mind off of the aching, burning hole in her heart. She wants to feel something - _anything _besides this! Tears soaked the shoulder of her black gi as Liv sat alone, waiting for the darkness to swallow her whole.

* * *

**So haha, just a chapter of pain. In case it wasn't clear, "he" from that one part in the chapter before Lloyd woke up, that was Lloyd. He was in, like, a coma state. And the girl he saw in there was Liv. Now, keep that little scene in mind because if you understand it now, you'll understand it later. Because Liv wasn't the one who did it. Lloyd and Liv are twins after all. **

**Liv sadly thinks that she killed Lloyd. And wow is that going to do some damage. **

**Next time: Keep their power or lose Lloyd? Quit or fight? Stand up or stand down? These are all choices the ninja, Liv, and Harumi must make.**

_**GreenGirl~**_


	20. Divided we fall

**It takes two**

**Chapter 20**

**Divided we fall**

**HAPPY 20TH CHAPTER! I can't believe this story has twenty chapters now. I know I said this last chapter, but I just have to say it again. Thank you all so much! But a special thanks to PrincePacman47 and Marysue9087 for being just great, kind people and amazing authors who have amazing stories! Go check out MarySue's 'Forgotten Family' and 'Changed fates!' And don't forget PrincePacmans 'Ninjago texts' and 'The next tournament of elements!'**

**PrincePacman47: I tried to give everyone the spotlight in the last chapter, because everyone had their own stuff going on, so i'm glad that you've seemed to pin it all down. Lloyd is definitely not one to ever stop believing in people, no matter what. So that'll be a fun little trait to play around with :) The ninja are definitely not going to let Lloyd do anything on his own anymore, and are going to try and stick by him. But now's the time to start questioning if the path they're on is the right one...**

* * *

Garmadon can feel his daughters surrender, relinquishing all control over to him. But he can also feel what she can't. He can feel his daughters rage, her heartbreak, her need for revenge. Her feelings are so strong that it's almost like their Garmadons own.

He forces more energy into the mental barrier between his mind and his daughters. Her emotions towards Lloyd are a weakness. Something to be exploited and used against her. People say Garmadon doesn't love his children, but he is not the man he was back then. He's something new, something better, something stronger.

Garmadon loves his daughter, but she needs to get her priorities straight, figure out whose team she's on. And until then...well, she can stay locked up in her own mind. But the dark lord is also not an idiot. And he knows his powers right now come from his daughter. Liv is powerful, more powerful than she'll ever understand. And Garmadon needs to unlock her true potential.

And the only way to do that is to make sure Lloyd is dead. Then he'll have unlocked his true potential, along with his daughters, and they'll be unstoppable! He just needs his daughter to let herself go, pull down the curtains she has over her powers and really _use _them.

But, once again, Garmadon is not stupid. And he knows the only thing holding Liv back is her crushing guilt and sorrow over Lloyd, and if she sees him alive… That will ruin his hold on her. The wall of a small village comes into view, and Garmadon smirks, no better way to show who's in charge than rubbing salt in open wounds.

The village sends one man, in nothing but rags and a cheap helmet with a flimsy sword. Some of the Sons of Garmadon laugh at the pathetic sight, but Liv just turns on her side in the void, hands pressed tightly over her ears and eyes screwed shut.

"Your village is surrounded." Harumi says, gesturing towards the line of gangsters circling the village. "Kneel before your new emperor!"

Garmadon steps out from behind the crowd, blood red eyes staring menacingly at the shaking villager. He's brave, Garmadon will give him that, but he's too brave for his own good. "We will never kneel." Says the villager, shaking like a cat in a thunderstorm. "Our people have already taken up arms, we will fight if need be."

This makes Garmadon growl, he places his hands on his hips. "Taken up arms?" He says, mockingly. The villager takes a step back. Harumi slithers around to Garmadons side, her white hair flowing in the wind as she moves.

"They know not of your power, my emperor." She whispers into his ear, voiced filled with sweet, poisonous honey. "Show them. Show all of them...how to kneel…"

Garmadons fists blaze, violet flashes dancing around him as he summons his true potential. Stones rise from the ground, slowly at first, then faster and faster as they come together, binding to form Three massive stone giants. Garmadon doesn't even break a sweat.

The bikers laugh and cheer, and the villagers shake harder. Dropping his sword in the dirt. The other citizens, safe inside the walls of the village, cower as they stare up at the three giants. Harumi forces a smirk from her lips.

"Please, forgive us." The villager pleads, bowing down in front of Garmadon, "Emperor Garmadon."

* * *

When the ninja all but ran into Mystakés tea shop, the elderly woman took one look at the pale, limp blond teen in Kai's arms, and immediately cleared a table. "I saw what happened on the news." Is all Mystaké says before she disappeared behind her beaded curtain.

Jay places a damp rag over the green ninja's forehead. Lloyd's eyes are screwed shut, sweat collecting on his furrowed brows. "He's - I can't...too much - help her-" He mutters, taking in shallow, choppy breaths.

The ninja look on in silence, all they can do is wait for Mystaké to finish the healing tea. But Kai still feels like there's more he can be doing than sitting here while his little brother lies on a table in the middle of a tea shop dying!

No one needs to ask what Lloyd means when he says "Help her." Because they don't need to. It's all Lloyd's been talking about since he woke up. And despite his rage towards Liv for what she did - what she's allowed to happen, he still feels bad for her, because it genuinely looked like she wasn't in control. And Kai's gotten pretty good at telling when someones not really themselves, courtesy of Morro possessing his brother for weeks.

No one had the heart to chew Lloyd out or lecture him about what he did in Kryptarium. The rushing in without a plan, ignoring his family's warnings, and being an overall bleeding heart for the wrong people.

But Kai isn't really mad at Lloyd. After all, if it was Nya, he would've done the same thing. In fact, Kai did do the same thing. When he first became a ninja, when Nya was kidnapped by Lord Garmadon and his skeleton army, he rushed in without a plan. Alone. Desperate to save his sister. So Kai understands Lloyds pain right now, he really does. But what hurts more is that after everything, after everything they've been through as a team, as best friends, as a family, Kai thought that Lloyd would trust them when they said that they would find another way.

Alas, trust was always something Lloyd struggled with. And his trust issues have probably just doubled in size with Harumi alone.

Mystaké finally emerges from her backroom, one light blue tea cup in her bony hands. "Please help her." Lloyd says again. Jay wipes his sweating forehead again, and Nya takes Lloyds hand in hers. Remembering her promise to him on the bounty.

"_You're gonna be okay. And we're gonna make sure she's okay, too. I promise."_

This is a promise Nya will not break. This is something that will not be tampered with. All Lloyds ever wanted was his family, and that's been constantly ripped away from him. Nya will not let his sister be ripped away from him. She's going to bring her back, and Lloyd's going to be there to see it. He's going to be able to talk to her without the walls, hug her without fear, she's going to be there for him and he's going to be there for her.

It's the least Nya can do for him.

"It's ready." Mystaké says.

"Is it - going to make him better?" Cole asks, fidgeting with his gloved fingers.

Mystakés eyes drift back towards the half-conscious blond on her table, then back into the swirling cup of tea. "It will heal his wounds...but." Mystaké finally says, her eyes grim as she looks at the ninja.

"There's always a 'but.'" Kai sighs, propping his head up in his hands. He's willing to do anything for Lloyd, but they have to stop jumping into situations like this with no plan. That's what got him and his family into this whole mess in the first place.

"It comes with a price." Mystaké hisses, her tone low.

Zane, ever the one for sacrifices, replies confidently. "Whatever it is, we will pay it." He says, his expression nothing short of pure, unbridled determination.

"I will take no coin for this." The elder says. She's helped the family of the First Master for so long, healing Lloyd is nothing. And besides, how could she? These crazy teenagers that have the weight of the world on their shoulders, the world and so much more. Each other, their pride, the whole city...maybe even the whole country is depending on them… Mystaké is glad to help such noble people.

But, the price for this might be too high.

"I speak of a price for you and your friend." Mystaké says. "Each of you must lay a hand upon him. The tea will focus your elemental powers to save him, but it may use up all the power you have left…"

Jay shakes his head. "Are you saying that to save him-" He gestures to Lloyd on the table "-we could lose our elemental power?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not." It's a huge maybe, and they all know it. Kai takes a breath, trying to think this through. Lloyd wouldn't even hesitate if it were anyone of the guys, or Nya, or Liv. He would jump right in, rational thinking be damned.

And Kai knows he would do it, too. So he has to stop himself from placing a hand on Lloyd, he has to really think about what Lloyd would want. Lloyd wouldn't want them to lose their powers for him, he would without hesitation, make the sacrifice. He would tell them that the city, his sister, them, that they were more important than him. That he brought this on himself, and now he has to live with the consequences

And that's what's killing Kai. He knows exactly what Lloyd would do...and he doesn't want to do it.

Lloyd tries to sit up, a pain racked shudder escapes him, and that seals the deal for the rest of the team. "Do it." Nya says, confidently.

Keep their powers, have an actual chance at stopping the Sons of Garmadon, but lose a brother? Lose Lloyd?

The city or Lloyd?

Lloyd or the city?

It's killing him, but it's what Lloyd would do. Lloyd would do it to save his brothers, save his sisters. Now Kai has to respect that choice.

Kai chooses the city.

"Wait!" He says, drawing the attention to him. "You don't just jump into decisions like this. I mean-" Kai starts, his friends look at him in surprise. They weren't expecting _Kai _of all people to second guess this.

"You're just worried about yourself!" Cole accuses, crossing his arms.

"Maybe I am." Kai states. "Rushing into things like this is how we lose. Lloyd learned that the hard way...we all saw how powerful Liv - I mean, _Garmadon _is. Without our elemental powers...what chance do we have?"

Silence follows, and no one says anything. So Kai continues. "What would Lloyd do? He wouldn't want us to sacrifice our powers for him, we all know he wouldn't. And that's just who Lloyd is, and we can't keep trying to change that." Kai says with a sigh. "Lloyd would want us to save Liv. To use our powers to save her. And the city."

No one says anything. Kai can see the indecision in their faces, no one wants to let Lloyd die. But no one can think of an alternative, either. Sensei would know what to do, Kai thinks. Even in his current state, he'd give them something. But no, they left him with Misako.

"There is an alternative solution." Mystaké says after a while. Hope lights like a fire in the expressions of the ninja. But Kai tries to snuff it.

Hoping is what got Lloyd where he is now, and Kai will not let his hard earned wisdom go to waste. Lloyd is their temporary-master-in-training, and it's about time they start listening to him.

"Tell us, please." Nya says, her eyes desperately skirting over Lloyd's shaking form.

"Lloyd's sister, Liv, used her limited green energy to help Lloyd, did she not?" Mystaké says, placing the tea cup on the table.

The ninja nod, they'd heard Lloyd talking to himself during the fight in Krypterium, saw his green energy glow and grow stronger. They just hadn't known it was Liv who was helping him. If there was any doubt who's side Liv was on now, it was crushed.

"Liv's energy is still in him. Different from Lloyd's, but still the same. I can brew something that will focus solely on Liv's energy, but Liv herself would have to help wake him up." Mystaké finishes, already stepping behind her beaded curtain.

"How can Liv wake him up if she's not here?" Jay says, looking towards the shop window as if his best friend would come running through.

"How did you think Lloyd woke up the first time." The elderly shop owner says with a mischievous grin. Leaving the ninja to wonder how, exactly, she knew that.

* * *

Once again, Mystaké comes out of the back room, pushes aside the beaded curtains, and tells the ninja that the tea is ready. And this time, there is no but. Jay and Nya lift Lloyd's head so he can drink the tea. Mystake pours a small sip, and then the lightning and water elementals slowly ease Lloyd's head back down.

The effect of the tea is immediate.

Lloyd groans, seizing up a bit. His eyes flash a brilliant green before fading to violet, then they go dull scarlet, and Lloyd falls back under as fast as he'd woken up. Kai places a hand on Lloyd's shoulder, shaking him a bit.

"Isn't he supposed to wake up?" Cole asks, worry lacing his voice.

"He will wake up when his sister deems it so. Now, we must wait." Mystaké answers, disappearing behind her curtain.

* * *

He can hear everything. But can say nothing

Lloyd wakes up under the stars again, the same girl that he recognizes now as his sister. "Hey." He says, walking towards her.

"Hey." Liv says, lying in the sand. "The stars are beautiful tonight."

Lloyd briefly wonders why she's still here, but he can't bring himself to mind. At least she is. "Yeah, it is." He says instead, sitting down next to her.

"I would tell you to wake up, but I can't do that."

"What do you mean?" Lloyd looks at Liv quizzically. "You woke me up last time, what's so different now?"

"What's different now." Liv says, propping herself up on her palms. "Is that i'm not really her. I'm not really Liv. I'm what you want to see, what you want to hear."

Lloyd stands up, turning away from the blond girl in front of him. He's lost his mind. "If you're not her, then who are you?"

"Your grandfather."

Lloyd stops pacing, looking at the girl in front of him with wide eyes. Now he knows he's lost his mind. "My - what?"

"Your grandfather." Liv...or his grandfather says, bluntly. "And I can't help you this time, and neither can your sister."

Lloyd looks at his grandfather at the mention of Liv. "What do you mean?" He asks. Lloyd feels like he's getting answers to questions he never asked, and no answers for the ones he did.

"She can't help you anymore because she doesn't believe _you _are alive. She thinks that you are dead, and that it was her fault." Lloyd's grandfather sighs, lying back down on the sand. Lloyd sits next to him, albeit hesitantly, this _is _the first spinjitzu master after all.

"She...thinks she killed me?" Lloyd says after a bit.

"Yes. That is why it is me you see, and not her." The first master explains, somberly. "I'm here to wake you up, but I can only guide you to the path. You must choose to walk it."

"I want to walk it." Lloyd says without hesitation. He wants to go back, he can hear everything that his friends are saying, and he needs to go back. He needs to make sure that they're all okay, and he needs to show Liv that he's alive.

The first master doesn't question him, only stands. Lloyd follows him towards Kryptarium prison. Lloyd tense as he gets closer, memories of the battle flashing in his mind. His grandfather shoots him a kind, but grim smile as he stops just in front of the prison wall.

"The path you have chosen to walk is one of sorrow, and suffering. Things will happen that you will not be able to stop, but I will give you the choice to change them." The FSM pauses, studying Lloyds reaction."

"Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, do you wish to see the path you are about to walk?"

The green ninja takes a breath, looking at the prison wall. "I want to see the path."

The First Master nods, waving a hand over the stone. The world twists and turns around him, the sand beneath his feet replaced with hard stone. The stars were replaced with a cloudy sky. And now he's not in the middle of nowhere in front of a prison wall, but in the middle of the city, the roar of a dragon pierces the silence, as Lloyd sits on the roof of Borg Tower, a body clutched to his chest.

The first master looks at the blond boy before the world around Lloyd switches to get a close view of the scene unfolding on the tower. A blond girl is in Lloyds arms, brilliant green eyes flicker from green to red, green to red. The image shifts again, closer. And Lloyd can make out her face, all the flecks of red in her green eyes and the violet sparks fizzling around her.

Liv is in his arms.

And Liv is dying.

The Lloyd that he sees is crying, a hand cupped around his dying sister's hand. "Not your fault." Lloyd hears her say. "Never your fault, you hear me?"

Lloyd himself is crying now, reaching out to touch what isn't really there. "I don't want you to leave, not again." The Lloyd from his vision says. Liv holds the hand on her cheek, coughing. "I don't want to say goodbye."

"It's - it's not a goodbye, little brother." Liv says. "It's...just a...see you later." Liv says,shuddering again. "See you later, littler brother. See you later, Lloyd."

The green ninja that Lloyd sees is screaming once the hand in his falls away, once those jade green eyes close and don't open back up, when his sister exhales, but the inhale never follows. The world shifts for a final time, and Lloyd is back under the stars.

He stumbles, falling into the sand with a strangled gasp. "What you saw is your path. It is her path. It is the future." The First Master says, grimly.

"No." Lloyd says, shaking. "No no no! She can't!" He screams.

"I have shown you the path so you can walk it, and if you can, prevent it." His grandfather says, placing a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "Preventing destiny is a feat no one has accomplished, but it is not impossible."

Lloyd stands, wiping his eyes with determination. "I'll make it possible. I will not let her die."

* * *

Lloyd wakes up with a gasp, his eyes shooting open. "Liv!" He shouts, tears still in his eyes.

Nya and Mystaké come running from the back room of the tea shop. "Lloyd!" Nya says, coming over to him. She places a hand on his back, helping him sit up. "What is it?"

Lloyd looks away, squeezing his eyes shut. "I had a dream. Of - Of Liv, and me." His voice breaks as Lloyd starts to sob. Nya pulls him into a tight embrace. "She died, Nya. I saw her die."

"Liv is not dead, Lloyd." Nya says, confidently. "I promised you that she'd be okay, I'm going to keep that promise."

A rumble shakes the tea shop. Glasses falling to the ground and dust falling from the ceiling. "You have to leave." Mystaké says, worriedly.

"Wha - What's going on?" Lloyd says, slowly easing himself off the table. Nya pushes him back, careful of his injuries.

"Garmadon, he's doing something big. The guys are already checking it out, but Lloyd." Nya says, taking his hand. "The cities in panic, something big, very big, is happening."

"Do you still have your powers?" Mystaké asks, but she looks like she already knows the answer. Nya looks at Lloyd expectantly.

Lloyd tries to summon a ball of green energy to his hands, but he's met with a crushing emptiness. He can't feel anything, like he's been shoved underwater. The usual influence his power has on him is muffled, gone.

He tries again, grunting with strain. His eyes flash a dull green, but nothing more. And with a few blinks, the emerald in his irises is gone. Replaced with their natural red. "I can't." He says. "Why can't i-?"

"That's okay, you're alive, and that's all you need to know." Nya says, helping Lloyd to his feet. The blond lies back down, closing his eyes.

"Without my powers...I can't - I can't defeat my father. I can't save - save Liv." Lloyd says in between shallow gasps. Mystaké looks at him with sad eyes, and Nya tries to pull him back up without hurting him.

"No, don't say that Lloyd." Nya chokes, her eyes watering. Thunder shakes the building, and they all look towards the door. "Do you have any strength left?"

Lloyd sighs softly before slowly moving to stand. He nods, and Nya helps him off the table. His ankle buckles, but she's there to catch him. Mystaké walks them to the door, cold rain soaks their clothes, but they pay it no mind.

Nya and Lloyd walk down the quiet, abandoned streets. The water ninja slips one hand under Lloyd, and the other goes to her trident. She scans the street for SoGs as she helps Lloyd limp down the road.

"Wait!" Mystaké calls after them, running out into the rain with a bundle of green cloth in her hands. "Take this with you." She says, handing Lloyd the green bunch of cloth. She whispers something in his ear, and Lloyd smiles softly.

"You may not have power, but that was never what made you powerful. It was knowing what to do, and when to do it." Mystaké says, confident eyes boring into Lloyds dull red ones. Nya smiles, leading Lloyd back down the street to get Misako.

"Go, Ninja! The end is not the end, but only a new beginning!" Mystaké calls after them before running back inside her tea shop. The lights of the shop go off, the door locked, and the curtains closed.

* * *

The stone colossus rumbles down the streets. Crushing cars and knocking over lamp posts. The ninja stumble into an alley, their gis soaked. "Of all the big things we've fought." Jay gasps, hands on his knees. "This is the biggest!" He says, flailing his arms. The panic in his eyes is unsettling. Him and Nya should be in their element! With all the rain and lightning, they could easily take down the colossus with a well placed blast of crackling, deadly lightning.

"We need the bounty!" Cole says. The others nod, already turning towards Mystakés shop where they landed it. A part of Cole wonders if Lloyd's woken up, but they don't have the time to run in and see.

The Samurai X mech pops up behind them, making the ninja jump. "Go! I'll keep it busy!" She orders, flying towards the colossus.

The ninja sprint from the alley towards the tea shop, running between the colossuses' giant stone legs and splashing in puddles of rain. Garmadon and Harumi watch from atop a building. Harumi smirks at the destruction. Garmadon turns his head, grunting.

"What is it?" Harumi asks, eyeing the dark lord.

"My brother." Garmadon hisses, turning to walk back inside the building. "He's near."

* * *

Misako and young Wu sit in front of the circular window, watching the rain in destruction beyond the glass. The strike of lightning and the roar of thunder shakes the building. Little Wu reaches a small hand up to Misako, and the archeologist takes it, giving the small hand a squeeze.

"My brother is coming." Wu says, his big eyes locked with Misakos.

"How do you know?" Misako asks, kneeling down next to the small child.

"I know." Is all he says, but Misako doesn't mind. She scopes up the small boy, walking towards the door. The door's weak hinges creak, but Misako ignores it, clutching Wu to her chest and looking down the hall.

The child shrieks, and Misakos eyes flick to the left. Her daughter's bright scarlet eyes stare back at her. The black and purple of her gi making the blond teen look like a menacing shadow. "What has happened to you?" Misako whispers, Wu buries his head into her shoulder, and Misako backs away.

Garmadon responds with a blast of stolen power. The flame of dark energy shoots towards Misako, and the elderly woman turns her back, shielding Wu. A sliver blur rushes past Misako, grabbing the archaeologist and moving her out of the line of fire. Misako looks up, smiling at Nya. The water ninja glares at the teen across the hall.

Lloyd slides up behind them, his expression determined as he faces down Liv. The corrupted teen falters, a bit of Liv peaking through the cracks. "Lloyd!" Shouts Wu. The green ninja smiles, and Nya shoves Wu into his hands, turning back to Liv.

Liv's eyes shoot open at the name, she stumbles to look through her stolen eyes, gasping at the sight of her brother. Tears roll down Livs face, she can still see the bruises, but Lloyds alive, and that's enough for her.

She throws herself at the barrier holding her back, but, expecting this, Garmadon pushes more energy into the shield. Her knuckles are bloody and her shoulder aches, but Liv keeps throwing herself at the blockade.

Garmadon stumbles, and Lloyd steps forward, he knows Livs fighting, he can feel it. "Go, Lloyd!" Nya yells at him, pushing him towards the exit. "Get Wu outta here! We'll hold him back."

"But, I-" Lloyd starts

"Please, Lloyd! Don't worry, just go!" Nya says again.

The green ninja huffs, but he turns and limps down the hall as fast as he can. Misako and Nya turn back towards Garmadon, who was leaning and muttering to himself against the wall. "You sure you're up for this?" Nya says to Misako, her eyes never leaving Liv.

"My husband has taken over my daughter, my brother in law is now a toddler, and there's a stone giant terrifying the city. I'm up for anything." Misako says,getting into a fighting position. Nya smiles, huffing a laugh as the two charge.

* * *

"This way." Lloyd says, pushing open the door to the rooftop. Little Wu waddles after him. From the roof, Lloyd can finally see the colossus. And it is huge, smashing buildings in it's way and knocking over power lines with ease. The blond stumbles back, turning to go the other way when a white haired girl jumps down in front of him.

"Running will do you no good." Harumi says, a hand on her hip.

"Is this what you want? To destroy the city, create more victims?" Lloyd says, gesturing around at the city. Something flickers in Harumi's eyes, but it's gone too fast for Lloyd to tell what it was. The quiet one masks it with a sneer.

"Just think how many more will be made like you." Lloyd continues, he can feel little Wu's small hands digging into his leg, and Lloyd shields the child, a hand already reaching for him if he needs to make a run for it.

"This isn't what you want. And Liv wouldn't want this, either." Lloyd says. He can pinpoint the emotion in Harumi's eyes now. _Regret. Longing. _But once again, it's masked.

"Oh Lloyd, how could you possibly know what I want, or what she wants?" Harumi sneers, a hand reaching behind her back. "Besides, this is just the beginning." She says, pulling out the mask of hatred.

Panic floods Lloyd. He hasn't seen what that mask does to someone, and he doesn't want to know. Grabbing Wu, the green ninja holds the child close to his chest as he sprints in the other direction. He's vaguely aware that he's heading towards the colossus, but he'll take his chances with a stone giant than Harumi.

The edge of the rooftop comes faster than Lloyd had thought, and he stifles a cry as he leaps from it on to the next. His ankle explodes with sharp needles of pain that snake up his leg, but he ignores it and keeps running. He's also ignoring the crushing pain he gets when he breathes and the gaping whole where his powers should be.

Lloyd can hear Harumi's yell from behind him as she puts on the Oni mask, he runs faster towards the latter at the end of the roof, and he wastes no time climbing up. It's a little harder one handed, but he manages. When he gets to the top of the ladder, Lloyd's faced with a choice.

There's another ladder that leads downward towards another building, but that leads towards an alley, and if Harumi corners him, it's over. And the other option is a thick pole that leads to the roof of another building. He stomps his ankle on the ground, testing it. It doesn't immediately buckle, but the needles of pain are still there. Lloyd runs towards the pole and hopes he still has somewhat good balance.

He wobbles a bit with the weight of little Wu, but rights himself immediately and continues down the pole. He runs down the roof and jumps atop an air conditioning unit, and down another roof when Harumi leaps in front of him.

She's covered head to toe in stone, with eerie purple cracks peeking through the pale grey rock. On instinct, he throws an arm out in front of him, trying to summon green to his hands. He's met with that same empty hole. He tries again, and Harumi just laughs.

"Where are your powers, Lloyd? As your city falls?!" She mocks, stepping closer towards him. Lloyd brings a hand to Wu, holding the child tighter. He stops at the edge of the building. They're two bulky, big iron rods in front of him, with other smaller poles running in a zig-zag pattern in between them. The pole is about five feet below him.

Young Wu clings to Lloyd's neck, little hands clutching his gi. Lloyd holds him closely, turning back to see Harumi running towards him. He closes his eyes, leaping down to the pole. His ankle chooses now to buckle. Lloyd stops, taking a sharp breath. He gingerly tests his foot again before he continues to run.

He gets to the top of the pole and grabs hold of a metal railed balcony, hauls himself over on top, stops briefly to catch his breath, and then he's running again. Lloyd runs to the end of the building, ready to jump again, but there's no more buildings below him. Nothing but the road, he's way too high to jump without becoming a pancake, and forming his elemental dragon is out of the question like his powers. He was worried about Harumi backing him into a corner. Turns out he backed in himself.

"The Sons of Garmadon could always use one more." Harumi says from behind him, her voice deep and distorted by the mask and it's dark power. "Join us."

Lloyd looks back down towards the ground, closing his eyes in defeat. Harumi grows ever closer, and little Wu clutches Lloyds gi. "Yeah…" Lloyd breathes, Looking at Harumi. "That never works." And with that, Lloyd throws himself off the building. He can hear Harumi's surprised yelp over the rush of air before he collides with the metal top of a skytram. He rolls at the last second, sitting down on the sky tram to catch his breath and relax his aching body.

Harumi rips off the mask of hatred, glaring daggers at Lloyd's receding silhouette. "The imbecile!" She says through gritted teeth. "He could've killed himself! He-"

Harumi stops mid-word. Why does she care if Lloyd kills himself or not? _Because then you can't!_ Deep down, Harumi knows that's not the right answer, so she stocks away instead, slipping the Oni mask back on as she chases down the sky tram.

* * *

"I have Wu!" Lloyd says into his comlink, his grasp tightens on the child as the sky tram makes a sharp turn. "Can anyone hear me? Where is everyone?"

Lloyd looks around, adjusting his grip on Wu. He can see Killow, Ultra Violet, and a dozen more bikers following him, and he knows that Harumi will find him soon. Lloyd sighs, the thought of her, her name, it all hurts far more than any knife.

The flashes of Livs death remind Lloyd of his mission. The only thing Lloyd shares with Harumi now is Liv, and right now, Lloyd's not so sure about that. So Him and the Quiet One share nothing, Lloyd tells himself. Maybe one day he'll believe it.

Lloyd's radio crackles to life in his ear, then-

"_We hear you loud and clear_!" Kai says, as the bounty flies into view. If this was a movie, Lloyd is positive that heroic music would start playing. Kai's megawatt smile is visible even from the deck of the bounty a couple feat away. The fire ninja waves at him, as Zane stirs the ship a bit closer towards the sky tram. Little Wu laughs brightly, and Lloyd beams at his brothers.

"Jump!" Cole yells. Lloyd looks to the ground far below them, then to the bounty that's too far away.

"It's too far!" Lloyd shouts back.

"Get us closer!" Jay tells Zane, and the bounty turns, narrowly avoiding running into a building.

"She's as close as I can get her!" Zane says, pulling up to fly over a highway before coming back down to Lloyd.

There are a few more bikers below them now, and Lloyd gulps. Unbeknownst to him, Harumi sprints after her men, leaping over buildings with the enhancement of the Oni mask. She can see the Destiny's Bounty now, hovering close to a sky tram, and Harumi runs faster.

"Careful!" Kai warns Zane as they dodge another building.

"Are you _actually _doubting my ability to closely approximate the true value of our surroundings?" Zane snaps, his brows furrowed in concentration. "I'm a nindroid."

The few seconds the ninja were distracted were all Harumi needed to leap onto the sky tram. Lloyd gasps, slowly stepping back as Harumi advances. Out of the corner of his eyes, Lloyd can hear Cole ask if it's Liv or Harumi, and Jay smacking him (On the shoulder, FSM forbid you smack the jacked earth ninja with super strength on the face), while hissing at him that that's "clearly Harumi!" Kai's expression darkens, and he readies himself to jump over to help Lloyd if need be.

"Give me the child! Your sister wants her uncle back!" Harumi growls, pointing a finger in what Lloyd guesses is his corrupted sister's direction.

"Lloyd, jump!" Kai yells, desperation in his amber eyes. "You can make it!"

Lloyd takes a breath, gauging the distance between him and Harumi, then him and the bounty, and decides it's worth the risk. He takes a step, then jumps. Harumi grabs his leg,and Lloyds expression dissolves into panic and pain. He lets go of Wu with a shout of, "Catch him!" Before Harumi throws him down onto the sky tram. Lloyd grunts, rubbing his back.

"What - No!" Cole yells as he pushes past Kai and Jay, launching himself over the bounty's rails to grab Wu. Jay leans over the reals to grab Coles feet, and Kai leans to grab Jay's. Cole uses his momentum to flip back onto the bounty.

Zane breathes a sigh of relief, turning back ahead of him just in time to gasp in panic. He swiftly stirs the bounty away from the highrise they almost crashed into. They make a sharp half circle around and away from the highrise, but also away from Lloyd.

"We have to go back." Kai states, leaning over the rails to try and spot the sky tram Lloyd's on.

"I'll circle around." Zame says, turning the bounty around and back towards Lloyd.

* * *

"You shouldn't have done that." Harumi seethes, turning on Lloyd. The green ninja forces himself to stand, meeting Harumi with a determined glare.

Harumi lunges towards him, her stone fist aimed for Lloyd's face, he turns, grabbing her arm and twisting it behind her. The quiet one rams her elbow into Lloyd's ribs, and he stumbles back, coughing.

Harumi swings her fist at him again and again, faster and faster. Lloyd ducks and dodges everyone sloppily. His eyes close as Harumi clips his shoulder, pain flaring like a firework.

Zane can see the Sky tram ahead of them now, two silhouettes dancing a deadly dance. His worry spikes for Lloyd, and he speeds up a bit. Making a turn to follow the sky tram when-

A giant, stone hand reaches up and snags the stern of the destiny's bounty. The ship shakes as another hand reaches for the bow. Vibrant, violet eyes stare back at Zanes blue panicked ones. Zane quickly reaches to reverse the thrusters, but the colousesses grip is as strong as the stone that created it.

The colossus adjusts it's grip on the flying ship, stone hands slowly crushing the bounty to pieces. Bits of the bounty fall away into an alley below as Zane tries to get away from the giants literally crushing grip.

"No!" Lloyd yells, thrashing against Harumi's hold on his neck, his hand reaching for the bounty. Or for powers that won't listen.

"This is the end, Lloyd." Harumi says, switching her grip to hold Lloyd over the side of the sky tram. "Watch to see how you lose it all!"

* * *

The bounty shudders, the violet eyes of the colossus never Leaving the four ninja panicking in the bridge. "Hands off, you big oaf!" Jay yells, gripping the control panel with white knuckles. "We just had a repair!"

"What'd we do?!" Kai shouts, arms wrapped around a table.

" I dunno!" Cole yells back. Wu's little hands tighten around his neck, and Cole closes his eyes.

"I can't break free from it's hold!" Zane says, looking back at his brother.

The mast splinters, sending small pieces of wood everywhere as the sails fall to the ground. A thruster falls into an alley along with the rest of their crumbling ship, and little Wu thrashes in Cole's arms.

"We have to go!" He says.

"What do you think we're trying to do?" Cole retorts, tightening his hold on Wu as the bounty shudders and more pieces fall away.

Young Wu smacks Coles bulky, sleeveless arms. Gesturing wildly. "We have _to go!"_

Jay stops screaming enough to process what little Wu's saying. And he swears that an actual light bulb and little _ding_ go off in his head as he turns to face Cole. "To...go." Jay whispers, before his expression lights up, a hand reaching for his pocket.

"'For your time of need...tea to go!" He gasps, remembering what Mystaké told them before they left the tea shop. "I think this is why she gave us this!" He yells, pulling out the crumpled tea bag the elderly woman gave him.

"Well? What are you waiting for?! It's not like we're about to be _crushed to death _or anything!" Kai says, looking at Jay expectantly.

Steamrolling over the comment, Jay steps forwards, opening the paper bag. A pale, yellow light explodes from the bag, along with dozens of golden yellow tea leaves floating from the bag. The ninja stare in awe as the flowers circle around them, glowing like golden stars.

The crackling of the bow is drowned out by the tinkling of bells filling the bridge. The leaves look like glistening flowers swirl around the ninja, shimmering brighter and brighter. They flow from the bag endlessly, circling around the ninja like wind.

"Go!" Says little Wu.

"Go where?" Cole asks the child, smiling a bit despite their predicament.

"I feel funny…" Jay says, wobbling a bit.

"What's happening?!" Kai yells, clutching the rails of the bounty as the swirling of golden leaves glows brighter and brighter, the world shifts, and the hard, splintering wood is replaced with soft sand.

There's a blinding flash of pale golden light, causing the four ninja to shield their eyes. And then the light is gone, and the paper bag falls to the floor along with the golden tea leaves. The bridge of the destiny's bounty is empty, no ninja aboard as the ship is crushed to bits.

* * *

Lloyd jerks away as the colossus stone hands smash the bounty in it's palms, chunks of his home crashing to the ground. "NO!" Lloyd screams, his voice breaking as a hand shoots out towards the bounty that's no longer there. The colossus wipes its hands together, dismissing the leftover evidence of wood. The knife in Lloyd's heart just twists deeper at the sight.

Lloyd's hand lowers in defeat, his bottom lip quivering and his dull, scarlet eyes welling with hot tears. "This - This is what I wanted." Harumi says, voice dripping with triumph. "To see your fathers return, and for you to lose _everything_!" She says as she drags him back onto the sky tram and drops him onto the cold metal. Lloyd wishes she would've just dropped him off the sky tram.

The green ninja sits defeated and broken on the sky tram, fat tears rolling down his cheeks in waves. Smoak rises from buildings and homes, and sirens echo throughout the city. Reminding Lloyd of the world that's still here, the world that wasn't just crushed.

_Is this how Liv felt? _Lloyd wonders._ Is this how she felt when she thought I was dead?_

"How does it _feel_ to see the end?" _Worse than death. _"How does it feel to watch as your loved ones fall just beyond your grasp?" _Like he's screaming in a crowded room and no one even looks up._ Harumi leans in close to Lloyd's ear and says, "That's how I feel. That's how I felt when you murdered my parents, _green ninja."_

Lloyd hates this crushing sorrow, he feels like he's drowning. Air is all around him, but he just can't reach it. His home a few blocks away, and yet it's just too far. He can't _do_ this. Without them. He can't do this without his home. He can't do this without the support of Cole. He can't do this without the joy of Jay. He can't do this without the kind heartedness of Zane. He can't do this without the wisdom of Wu. He can't do this without the protection of Kai.

He just can't.

And Harumi knows this.

Which is why he must prove her wrong.

Wiping tears from his broken eyes, Lloyd turns his head slightly so he can see Harumi from the corner of his eye. "No." Lloyd whispers, determination rolling off of him in waves. "I won't let it do to me what it did to you." He stands, facing the white haired demon. "This isn't the end, Harumi. This is just a beginning. Without my powers, without my sister, without my sensei, without my friends - brothers...I'm gonna fight you, I'm gonna fight on!" He goes into a fighting stance.

"Because a ninja..._**never**_ quits."

Harumi smirks, she'll give him a seven for the little speech. _Really _touched her heart. "Well then." She pulls a silver dagger from her pocket, the blade gleaming in the moonlight. "Goodbye, Lloyd."

Lloyd doesn't even acknowledge the dagger, his gaze pure, unbridled determination. "Before I go, just answer me this. You said the greatest villain is the one who got away…" Harumi tilts her head, remembering what she'd told Lloyd when they were on the bounty discussing the quiet one and the threat her gang poses. She's not that heartless not to grant a dead man his dying wish.

"Then what am _I._"

Harumi's eyes widen, but she's too late. She swings her dagger, but Lloyd ducks it, throwing himself over the edge of the sky tram, a small boat floats down the canal, and Lloyd dives for it, pulling a small, green and black parachute with the symbol of a man with a long beard and a sedge hat. _Wu._ Harumi realizes it's Wu on the back of the parachute. She has the urge to kick something, because he got that from her. She can almost hear Lloyds words as he stumbles onto the small boat. _How's that for karma?_

* * *

Across the city, Garmadon watches the chaos from the top of Borg tower. A triumphant smirk on his lips. He can feel her fighting for control, but he's too strong. Her attempts at escape are worthless. Not now when Garmadon's on top of the world.

"Ninjago...is finally..._mine_!"

* * *

**BOOM! How's **_**that **_**for a 20th chapter?! I feel very proud of how this turned out (And that this is 20 pages long). Over the course of the next few chapters, we might get less ninja in the first realm and more of our two ninja in the city because the events in the first realm are more or less the same. But if you think I should do more ninja in the first realm or more ninja in the city. Let me know in reviews. I hope you all liked this chapter, and Just thanks again for the support! **

**Next time: Having such strong emotional attachments to certain people is how Lloyd gets hurt. And a lot of people are hurting him now. The resistance is weak, and Garmadon is strong, but right now, Lloyd needs to heal his wounds before he soaks them in salt by telling Nya the terrible news.**

_**GreenGirl~**_


	21. Home is a people

**It takes two**

**Chapter 21**

**Home is a people**

**MarySue9084: Thank you! :D**

**PrincePacman47: Not everyone is as heartless as they seem, including Garmadon. And while Lloyd's 'Never give up' policy is a good one, It will just make things harder for Nya (You'll just have to wait and see what I mean). Gosh, sometimes I don't even know how to respond to your reviews, they're so awesome. And for the record, the decision that Liv might die was totally at random, and I have taken your alternate endings into account. My family's also trying to talk me out of killing Liv, so yeah. It may or may not happen, but only the future chapters will tell if it's a dream or vision.**

**The next few chapters of this story will focus less on the ninja in the first realm, and a bit more on the ninja in the city. Thank you both for the reviews and support! On to the second part of 'It takes two!'**

* * *

What makes up a home?

Probably a roof, for starters. Some walls, to keep unwanted guests out. A door and windows, so you can see what's going on in the world outside your home and allow certain people in. And then probably some furniture. Maybe a kitchen and a couch. A TV and a sitting room.

That's what a _normal _house is.

No, Lloyd just _had _to take the phrase, _"Home is where your family is."_ Or, _"Home is where your heart is," _ way to literally. Because instead of his home being a bunch of cement and bricks mashed together, Lloyd's home is a bunch of elemental teenagers who just _died!_ But hey, home is where your family is. And right now, Lloyd can't get to his family. But home is also where your heart is, and his heart is still here, still beating.

NOT!

Lloyd's heart was ripped out and smashed to pieces by Harumi. So that's gone, too. He lost his home, he lost his family, he lost his love, he lost-

Lloyd gasps as Misako rubs the disinfecting wipe over his many wounds. "Sorry, this might sting a bit." Misako says, quietly. She turns around briefly to steer the boat with her free hand farther down the canal to the rendezvous point with Nya and Pixal.

_Rendezvous point with Nya and Pixal. _

_With Nya and Pixal._

_Nya and Pixal._

_Nya. _

_Pixal._

"Do they know?" Lloyd asks, his voice a choked whisper.

Misako doesn't ask Lloyd what, exactly, Lloyd means by that. Because she already knows, she saw what he means. So she just shakes her head. _No._ Lloyd sighs heavily. He doesn't know what he's going to tell them.

_Hey Nya, Pixal! Don't know if either of you saw the colossus crush the bounty, the bounty that Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane, and Little Wu were on! Or as you might know them, Kai, Nya's brother, Jay, Nya's boyfriend, Zane, Pixals boyfriend, and our beloved friend Cole and Sensei Wu. Now if you don't mind, I need to go lock myself somewhere and sob dramatically because it's all my fault that they're gone-!_

Lloyd leans over the side of the boat, Misako eyes him wearily. As if she knows that he's considering leaping over the side into the water and not coming back up. The water looks very inviting at the moment.

Look, Lloyd's trying, he's _desperately _trying to look on the bright side. To be positive. To be the ninja that never quits. To be the ninja that he told Harumi he would be. But that ninja is gone, he's dead. Died on that sky tram as he was forced to watch his brothers and uncle suffer and die.

Lloyd doesn't know who he is now. He's been a lot of people in his life.

He was Lord Garmadons bratty kid from Darklys school for bad boys. That little boy died in the temple of fire. When he found out he was the Green Ninja.

Then he was Lloyd Garmadon, the prophesied Green Ninja to defeat the dark lord. The boy died when he was swallowed by the overlord and became the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master.

Next he was the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master. Died when he gave up his golden power.

After that, Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon was back. Garmadon's son, youngest ninja, younger brother, Green Ninja. And for the longest time, the boy was alive. He didn't drown with his father when the preeminent was drowned in the waters of Stixs. No, Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon died when the Sons of Garmadon revived his father from the dead. He died in Kryptarium prison.

And lastly, we have Lloyd. Just Lloyd. The man who is just a boy. The Ninja with a corrupted twin sister and a broken heart. He died on the sky tram along with his brothers and uncle.

Now Lloyd needs to find out what mask he's wearing today.

Lloyd lets his hand reach over into the murky water of the canal, but he snaps it back when the muscles in his shoulder protest violently. Rubbing his shoulder, Lloyd leans back on the boat's side. Misako steers the small boat into a dark, eerie tunnel. Nya and Pixal are on the other side of the tunnel. Lloyd knows that much.

He decides to think about what he's going to say to them.

Once he's got a somewhat good way of explaining to them what happened, he decides to think about his..._other_ problem. Because he wasn't able to save his brothers, but he will not lose his sister. He can't lose her, too.

The tunnel opens up, and Lloyd can see that they're near the edge of the city, in front of a warehouse. The sun peeks over the horizon, casting warm light over a dull, destroyed city. Misako helps Lloyd from the boat, and she slings an arm under him, walking briskly towards the warehouse. Lloyd limps after her, trying to keep pace. Misako lets him lean on the warehouse's steel wall as she knocks on the door.

_Once, Twice, A third, then-_

The door swings open, Nya holding her spear point at Misakos neck. The elder woman doesn't even flinch, just holds her hands up. Nya sighs, throwing her spear aside and hugging Misako tightly. Lloyd stumbles his way over, and Nya goes to hug him too. Dragging them both inside before slamming the door with a _thud_.

"You're here." Pixal says, she visibly relaxed. Walking away from where she stood by the Samurai X mech and giving Misako a tight hug. Dareth pops out from a corner and comes running over to Lloyd.

"We thought you guys were gooners!" He says, patting Lloyd on the shoulder. The green ninja flinches away, and Dareth pulls back his hand, thinking that his touch had hurt Lloyd, when it was really his words (And maybe a bit of his touch, too).

"Lloyd? Are you okay?" Pixal says, coming over to him.

Lloyd tries to speak, to say that he's _totally fine_. But he can't, because he's not. His lies won't work this time. Nya is at his side now, but Lloyd can't hear what she's saying over the obnoxious thump of his heart.

Nya pulls Lloyd to the ground, her hand gingerly hovering over his shoulder. "Are you hurt?" She says.

_More than you could imagine._

And Lloyd can't keep it in anymore, because they're so worried about him, and Lloyd doesn't deserve it! He doesn't deserve their care and comfort when he couldn't protect his brothers, his uncle. When his sister still dies in his arms. He doesn't deserve it. Harumi was right. _The greatest villain is the one who gets away. _And Lloyd's a pro.

"I'm so _sorry." _Lloyd chokes, tears in his eyes.

"Lloyd, you don't have anything to be sorry for." Nya says, her hand rests on Lloyd's shoulder, and he doesn't flinch away.

"No." Lloyd shakes his head. "You don't understand, I'm so, so sorry!" Pixal sits next to Lloyd and Nya on the floor, her bright green eyes quizzical. She looks around the warehouse, then at the door, and then back at Lloyd.

"Where...where are the boys? Wu?" She asks. And the flood gates _really _open. Lloyd chokes on a sob, unable to stop the flow of tears. It's all too much in so little time. Harumi's betrayal, Kryptarium, Liv's death, his brothers, his uncle's deaths…

"The c-colossus." Lloyd cries, wiping his eyes. "It - it _got _them. And they couldn't - couldn't get free - and - and-"

Nya gasps, a hand going to her mouth. Pixal shakes her head in denial. "They're gone." Lloyd says, softly. "I'm so sorry."

Nya stumbles away, gasping. "No." She says. "No they're not! They can't be! NO!" She yells in heartbroken denial. The loudest scream Lloyd's ever heard tears through the warehouse, echoing off the walls as Nya screams her pain out. Pixal stands still in shock, a hand over her heart.

"It's all my fault!" Lloyd cries, his fingers digging into his skull. "If I had just jumped when they told me too, if they didn't come back to get me, they would still - still be-"

"Don't you _ever _say that." Nya chokes, her voice wet and stuffy as she sobs. "They wouldn't want you to think that, Lloyd. They wouldn't want you to think it's your fault."

Pixal takes Lloyd's hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Even though our friends are gone, we still must fight for them." She says, her voice filled with too many emotions for Lloyd to pinpoint.

The three of them hug tightly, as if they let go they'd all fall apart under the weight of their grief. Nya sobs into Lloyd's shoulder. Lloyd clutches them even tighter when Misako and Dareth join a few moments later, and the last members of the ninja sit in silence. Taking the time to process who was lost, and who wasn't

* * *

Kai sat up with a gasp, rubbing the back of his head. Little Wu stood over him, a small wooden staff in his tiny hand. The small sensei wacked Kai on the head again, and the fire ninja swatted at the child in annoyance.

"Ugh, where are we?" Kai groans, sitting up.

"Not in Ninjago, I'll tell you that." Cole says from where he's propped up on what looks like the bridge of the bounty. Zane, Cole, and Jay are already up, working around the bridge.

"Yeah, I figured out that much." Kai huffs, walking over towards his brothers. The roar of a dragon splits the silent air, and Kai whirls around to see a huge, red dragon soar above him. "You guys saw that, Right?"

"We saw it." Zane pipes up, hammering down on what looks like a radio.

"Where...are...we?" Kai says again, looking around the barren wasteland of an island coast.

"The realm of Oni...and Dragons." Jay says, gesturing around at the various dragons flying around a sky with a black sun. "Pretty cool, huh?"

* * *

Misako, Pixal, Lloyd, and Nya have spread themselves out around the warehouse. Dareth went on a food run, since Misako, Pixal, Nya and Lloyd are all wanted "criminals." As much as Nya wants to comfort Lloyd, or Pixal, or Misako, she needs to help herself first. Sitting in the shadows of the warehouse, Nya pulls out a bundle of photos from her gi. Cressing the faces in the picture.

It's one of her and Jay, on their very first date. After he unlocked his true potential. Jay is kissing her cheek, and Nya is laughing, cotton candy in her hands. Nya rubs a thumb over the photo, her eyes welling with fresh tears.

She wipes the tears away, not wanting to soil her precious memories. She slips the photo back into her pocket before pulling out one of her and Kai. This one's newer. Right after they'd found their parents. How will she tell them about Kai?

_Ninja don't last forever. _

Those were his last words to her. _Ninja don't last forever._

The last two photos Nya pulls out are ones of all of them. From when Lloyd was still a bratty kid. Cole, Zane, Jay, Kai, Wu, and little Lloyd all stare back at her. Their expressions beaming with joy. The last photo is of her, Kai, and Lloyd. Kai has Lloyd in a choke hold, his knuckles in Lloyd's hair. Nya is yelling at them to sit still for the picture, but she's smiling all the same.

Nya remembers how upset she was with them. But now she holds this picture like it's a lifeline. They _are _her lifeline. These are the memories she has of her brothers. Her friends. All the smiles of the photos hold some of her best memories. They hold the happiest years of her life.

* * *

Pixal slams the hammer down on the Samurai X mech, pounding out all the dents. She hasn't felt like this since Zane sacrificed himself to stop the overlord, but this feeling...this crushing, suffocating weight that drags her down deeper and deeper into her grief.

She doesn't like it.

But she doesn't fight it, either.

Zane can't rebuild himself this time. He's not going to come back this time. She's not going to see him again this time. But Pixal still has hope. She's still holding out for him, and she doesn't know why. Zane's smarter than that. He would've found them a way out. Zane's smarter than that.

Pixal would've known if he died. She has half his heart. She would've felt it, she would've known it. She has half his heart. She would've felt it.

She should've felt it.

* * *

Lloyd sits up in the rafters, watching what's left of his family without really seeing. The rafters are doing nothing for his aching body, whatever tea Mystake gave him yanked him from the edge of death, but gladly skipped over everything else that's wrong with him. Lloyd doesn't really mind, though. The pain gives him something other than death to focus on.

He thought this mission would bring them back together. Like after Zane sacrificed himself. Chen's tournament brought them back together, forced them to be a team when they didn't want to be.

They entered that tournament broken. And they left whole.

This was supposed to be just like that. They would come back together to stop the Sons of Garmadon, he found his sister, and they would be whole again. They would be together again, but now they've managed to fall further apart.

Flashes of the last twenty-four hours flash in his mind. Kryptarium, Livs death, His brother's death. Somehow Lloyds managed to watch his family die all in the same night.

_What you saw is your path. It is her path. It is the future._ The future can be changed, destiny can be avoided. His grandfather showed him the path so he could prevent it, so he could stop it. And Lloyd will stop it. He has to stop it.

* * *

Liv pounds down the barrier in her mind, dark energy powered fists filled with rage and determination. _'It's no use, daughter.'_ Garmadon's voice echos around Li's prison, and her pounds harder on the wall, trying to block him out.

"I don't care!" Liv screams, slamming her bloody fists into the wall again. "I'm going to get out, and when I do you'll be the one trapped back in my mind!"

Garmadons cackles bounce sharply around Liv's mind, leaving a loud ringing in her ears. _'There's nothing to escape too! The ninja are dead! Killed by your own creation!'_

"The stone colossus was your creation! Not mine." Liv retorts. She's heard the same thing over and over. She refuses to believe that the ninja are dead. Her father told her Lloyd was dead, and Lloyd is alive. She can feel it, she knows it.

'_Ah, but it was formed with your powers. And I used those powers to destroy the Ninja!'_

"LIAR!" Liv screams, sending a blazing hand into the barrier. The entire prison shudders, cracks forming along the walls of her mental cage. Garmadons cackle had long since stopped, and the holes in the barrier were quickly being filled.

Liv throws herself at the wall, trying to create enough space for her to slip through. Her father is fast, but Liv is faster. She slips through the cracks and sprints blindly through the darkness of her mind, sending orbs of dark energy at anything that catches her eye.

Liv gasps. _She gasps. _"Yes!" Liv exclaims, looking over the city. Her joy quickly fades at the sight of her home.

Smoke rises from almost every building, sirens and screams ring out among the streets bikers engines roar down roads and back alleys. All the TVs either show the battle in Kryptarium, or a game show called ultra hunt.

Livs eyes float around the city, she can see everything from the top of Borg tower. Her eyes fall on the battle of Kryptiruam playing on a massive TV in central square. She shudders. _It wasn't you,_ Liv tells herself. _Not you. Never you. _Papers fly around in the wind, the faces of Nya, Lloyd, Pixal, and Misako on them with 'wanted' in big bold letters.

_Lloyd. _

Liv focuses, her fists light with pure violet flames, and she pushes them back. Focusing harder on the green that she knows is there. _Lloyd. _She calls out across the city. _Lloyd, answer me._ Garmadon is pushing against the blockade around their minds, the roles have been reversed, and now the captor is captured.

* * *

'_Lloyd, answer me.'_

Lloyd's head pops up, almost slamming into the roof of the warehouse. "Yeah?" He says, disturbing the silence of the warehouse.

"What's that, Lloyd?" Misako calls, putting down her book.

"Didn't you call me?"

"No one said anything, Lloyd."

Lloyd nods to himself, leaning back on the rafters and closing his eyes. _'I'm calling you! I know you can hear me, Lloyd!' _Lloyd opens his eyes, annoyed. He's about to ask who's calling him when the voice registers to him. His head shoots up, his eyes bright.

"Liv!" He shouts, his voice echoes through the warehouse, drawing eyes not from the name that left his lips, but the joy that the name carried. "Liv is that really you?"

'_Course it's me, you idiot! Who else would it be?'_ Liv pauses before adding, _'Is it true?'_

"Who are you talking to?" Pixal calls up to Lloyd. The green ninja leaps down from the rafters, careful not to land on his bad ankle.

Lloyd doesn't need to ask what Liv's talking about, and his eyes subconsciously fill with more tears. "Yeah, it's - it's true." He chokes. Liv is quiet as she takes that in, and Lloyd can feel her mood shift from joy to that same crushing depression Lloyd feels at the thought of his brothers being dead.

'_Well, I'm...i'm so sorry, Lloyd. I wish I could be there.' _

"Thanks. I wish you could be here too." Lloyd says, his voice a whisper.

"Lloyd! Who the heck are you talking to?!" Nya yells at him, and Lloyd turns around to face his worried friends and mother.

"You can't hear her?" He asks.

"Hear who, Lloyd?" Misako says, her voice tinged with concern. She looks like she's about to press her hand to his forehead, but Nya does that for her. Lloyd swatts Nya's hand away, annoyed.

"I'm talking to Liv!" Lloyd says. "She was able to contact me through our - our twin telepathy? Yeah, our twin telepathy."

A grin pulls at Nya's lips, and Misako brings a surprised hand to her mouth. "What's she saying?" Pixal asks, her own eyes gleam with a small spark of hope.

'_I'm going to try and reach the others - give me a second.' _Liv says, something shifts in the warehouse, and Lloyd knows that he's not the only one who can feel it.

"Are you sure you can do that to this many people at once?" Lloyd asks, but then there's a bright flash of light, and Liv stands in the middle of the warehouse.

"Liv!" Nya yells, overjoyed. Misako, Lloyd, Nya, and Pixal run over to the blond girl. Liv smiles brightly, but it soon fades when Misakos hand goes right through her.

"What in the world…?" Misako whispers, she waves a hand through Liv again, and the blond girl shoos it away.

"Hold on." Liv huffs, she closes her eyes, then raises a hand to rest upon Misakos shoulders. "There we go." Liv cheers, and then the hug resumes. Pixal and Nya let go of the embrace a few moments later, letting Misako and Lloyd have their space with Liv.

Lloyd backs away, his eyes glassy. Nya pulls him into a hug, trapping him in a gentle headlock. Misako pulls back from Liv, holding her daughter at arm's length. Liv is crying as Misako says, "You've grown so much."

Liv laughs wetly, hugging Misako tightly before letting go. "Come here, Lloyd." Liv says. Nya lets Lloyd out of the headlock, and he all but sprints into Liv's open arms. They both Laugh in sync as Liv topples to the floor. They hug tightly for a solid two minutes before standing up.

"Okay, while I am glad to see you are okay, Liv, how are you here?" Pixal asks, her bright green eyes roving over Liv.

"Oh, uh, I'm not really here. The SoG are using Borg tower as their base of operations, and I broke out of my mental barrier when Garmadon told me…" Liv pauses, her breath catching in her throat. "When he told me that my powers are what created the clousses, that I'm the reason that - that they're not here."

Everyone goes silent at that, but Nya walks over and gives Liv a soft hug. "I already told Lloyd, stop trying to claim blame that isn't yours."

Liv nods. "That's good advice." She laughs, before continuing to tell Nya, Lloyd, Pixal, and Misako how she escaped the mental prison and formed a link to reach Lloyd.

"So you're here...literally in spirit?" Lloyd laughs. Liv nods, chuckling.

"You could say that. I think if I focus, I could keep myself here, but that would give Garmadon full control over my body, my powers…" The ninja get the jist. Liv can't stay. No matter how much they want her too. That would mean surrending her body to Garmadon, her powers to him, that's something they can't do.

"At least we know you can take control." Pixal says, trying to keep the mood as positive as it can be given the circumstances.

"Yeah, I'll try to sneak out of my mind every now and then to come see you guys as a ghost." Liv huffs, slinging her arm around Lloyd. At her touch, Lloyd remembers what path they're about to walk down. What could possibly be his sisters doom. And he freezes.

She's happy right now, what's left of his team is happy right now. Their smiling softly, and the horrific events of the last twenty-four hours have been temporarily forgotten. He's not ready to tell them just yet, he's not ready to spoil the joy.

So for now he'll wait, and he'll enjoy his sister while he still can.

* * *

Night rolls around, and the warehouse's occupants are finally ready to crash. It's not really comfortable, to say the least, but at least Lloyd can go to sleep knowing that what's left of his family's safe.

The only blankets (That are still incredibly thin), go to Misako and Liv. Turns out Liv hadn't eaten since Garmadon took over. So she and Misako automatically get the blankets. Nya curls up on Lloyds right, and the two sleep like that for a good while. With Pixal powered down near her mech, Misako sleeps near the door, and Liv curls up on Lloyd's left.

Lloyd subconsciously runs a hand through Liv's tangled blond hair. She looks like she hasn't slept in days. _She probably hasn't. _Liv stirs, sleepy green eyes locked with Lloyds, she moves to sit up, and Lloyd tries to push her back down when his hand goes right through her. Liv flickers in and out of existence as sleep pulls her, but she forces herself to stay solid.

"Mmm, go to sleep." Liv whispers.

"You go to sleep." Lloyd retorts, a yawn escapes him, and Liv raises a tired eyebrow. Lloyd sighs, but he can't hold this in any longer.

"I'm scared I'll wake up and you won't be here." Lloyd says in a hushed tone. Liv's fully awake now, and she scoots closer to Lloyd, throwing an arm around him.

"I'm scared, too." Liv admits. "I'm scared that he'll use me to hurt you again. To kill someone again. I was so afraid when I thought I killed you, Lloyd. I was terrified that the line between me and him was blurred. That I was no better than our father…"

Liv lets her head droop on Lloyds shoulder, and Lloyd twirls a strand of her hair in his fingers. "What's it like?" He asks. Liv doesn't even question him.

"It's dark. I can see what he does, but I have no control. I can feel when he uses my powers, it's a violet flow of power leading outside my prison. Sometimes I can stop the flow, other times I can't. There's a barrier between me and him. My mind and his. But I've never been in his mind, I've never crossed the line to get there."

Lloyd doesn't say anything, just continues to toy with Liv's hair. "You'll be back though, right?" He asks, daring himself to hope. "I'd hate for this to be our last get together during all this."

Liv chuckles softly. "Yeah, I'll try my best." She says. "Same time...say, Next week?"

"Yeah. "Lloyd agrees, wrapping his arm around Liv. "Same time next week."

Liv curls next to him, her eyes closing. "See you then, little bro."

* * *

When Lloyd wakes up the next morning, Liv isn't there. He starts to sit up when movement at his side stops him. Nya is still asleep on his shoulder, and Lloyd settles back down. There's no trace of evidence that Liv was even there.

That's the problem when your home isn't a place, but people.

You're always losing them.

* * *

**You guys got lucky with Liv. Like I said, not everyone is as heartless as they seem. And now Liv can take control long enough to visit the remaining ninja in the city, so that's a plus (Probably the only plus from this depression chapter). **

**What do you think of Liv's nifty little trick, huh? She wasn't actually there, but she was there in literal spirit. And Liv could stay with the ninja as sorta like a ghost, but then that would mean surreding herself, and her powers, to Garmadon. Speaking of Garmadon, Garmadons taking over Liv's body is like Morro possessing Lloyd. **

**Next time: The sons of garmadon sweep the city for the "wanted criminals" known as the resistance, Nya and Pixal train Lloyd to be the resistance leader they all need, Lloyd learns not to lie about potentially dangerous injuries, the secret of the possible future is revealed, and Harumi chooses her side once, and for all.**

_**GreenGirl~**_


	22. Spreads like a wildfire

**It takes two**

**Chapter 22**

**Spreads like a wildfire**

**Marysue9084: I sure will ;D**

**PrincePacman47: I agree, I couldn't just leave them miserable. And I figured that we haven't heard from Liv in a bit, so I gave her a bit of screen time. No thing, and I mean**_** nothing**_**, can ever change Lloyd. He will never stop trying, even if it kills him to do so.**

* * *

Garmadon was not in a good mood. Harumi could tell that much.

Nobody dared go near him, and once he started to threaten that he would start pitching people off the side of the tower. However, that never happened, despite how much everyone thought it would.

The whole tower was walking on eggshells, and surprisingly, Harumi felt like she could see more of Liv today than she'd seen her since Kryptarium three days ago. Harumi doesn't know how she feels about that. Liv was her friend, and she hopes she still is, but with...what's happened, Harumi isn't getting her hopes up.

"Have you found the Green Ninja and his protectors? What about the other elemental masters? Skylor?" Lord Garmadon says, is voice firm and threatening. As if daring Harmi to say no.

Harumi doesn't answer right away, because she's too busy cursing herself when the Green Ninja comes to her mind. For some reason, the name behind that title fills her with warm and bitterness. Maybe she's bitter and angry about what he did, or maybe she's bitter and angry because of what they could've been.

She remembers the flash of pure panic when he'd jumped from that roof onto the skytram. For a few seconds, Harumi found herself worried about him and his well being. She was worried about Lloyd. Her enemy.

Why? Why was she worried?

"Not yet, my Lord. But our men are searching the city as we speak." Harumi says, adding that last part hastily. It's a lie. Harumi and her men could easily track down the elemental masters, but at the same time, she doesn't want to.

She wants them to fight against her, to fight alongside the Green Ninja in a battle to regain the city. Harumi tells herself that she just wants the challenge, she could easily find Lloyd in his weakened, depressed state. And kill him where he stands.

But that thought makes Harumi feel weird inside. Because deep down, she knows that she just doesn't want him to go down so easily. She doesn't want to bring Lloyd to his knees just yet. Maybe she doesn't want to bring Lloyd to his knees at all.

Garmadon growls, fists blazing. "You will find the Green Ninja and his protectors, or you can join your men at the bottom of this tower." He says, deathly calm. Harumi nods, bowing low to hide her terrified eyes.

* * *

Lloyd flips over Nya, landing solidly on his feet. Nya wastes no time blasting him with twin jets of water, and Lloyd slips on the wet floor. Nya charges, leaping into the air. Lloyd rolls just as Nya's foot slam into the spot where his head once was.

Nya runs at Lloyd again. The green ninja runs at the raven haired girl, and the two spar fiercely. With Misako and Pixal watching from the side lines. The TV flickers life, momentarily distracting Lloyd. Nya's foot finally collides with Lloyd's battered rib cage, sending the blond to the floor. Lloyd hisses, clutching his chest. Nya walks over to him,an apology in her eyes.

"Sorry, you okay?" Nya says, pulling Lloyd to his feet.

"Yeah, just bruised that's all." Lloyd says through gritted teeth. "Nice kick, though."

Nya chuckles, still eyeing Lloyd. "You sure you don't want Pixal to take a look? You took a few hard hits in the last...few days." Nya says, her eyes flicking downwards briefly. They all took hard hits, mentally and physically. Heck, Nya's wrist still aches from her brief fight with Liv.

But she's doing better than Lloyd when it comes to injuries. Nya knows she's still a collage of cuts and bruises, but she let Pixal fix her up, bandage her physical wounds and soak her mental one's in salt.

Lloyd on the other hand seems to want to soak all his physical and mental wounds in salt water. He won't let Nya, or his mother, or Pixal help him, and it's getting on Nya's nerves. Because she just yanked him from death's doorstep two days ago, and she's not about to lose her little brother to blood loss or infection because he's too busy self-deprecating!

_He would listen if Liv was still here,_ Nya thinks. Seeing Liv was...strange, to say the least. But Nya was still happy to see her. It's what they all needed after what happened, especially Misako and Lloyd. _Jay would've loved to see her, too._

Tears form the corners of Nya's eyes. She woke up and Liv was gone, like she'd never even been in the warehouse in the first place. And that...that _did _something to them, to her, to Lloyd. Jay was Liv's best friend, they all knew that. It was obvious. Those two just clicked. Jay was the first one to open up with Liv when she was a kid, he told her jokes when she was sad and comforted her when she was scared. He showed a side of himself that the ninja never knew existed, a side they only thought Kai possessed.

And the last time Jay saw his best friend was as she was trapped in her own mind, forced to beat her own twin to a bloody pulp. Jay died thinking Liv was lost, and that's why Nya is crying. Because he didn't get to see Liv Harlow Garmadon, his best friend, one last time.

Nya sniffs, wiping her eyes. She's going to bring back Liv, the real Liv, throw Harumi in a cell and throw away the key, then she's going to march down to the departed realm and beat the crap out of Lord Garmadon.

But first, she's going to patch Lloyd up like Liv...and Kai would want her too. Because their older brothers are gone, their sensei is gone, and their sister is trapped. It's up to Nya to hold them all together and do what Cole, Zane, Wu, Jay, Liv, and Kai would want her to.

FSM know's Lloyd can't do it. Not now at least.

"Lloyd, come on. You're not fooling anyone." Nya says, taking Lloyd gently by the arm and tugging him towards the wall. Pixal and Misako wordlessly come and sit by them, too. Ready to dish out medical support.

"No, Nya, I'm fine. I swear i'm okay." Lloyd protests, trying to stand up. Misako's gentla hands push Lloyd back down, and the blond huffs.

Pixal and Nya set to work cleaning up Lloyd's wounds. There's a long gash on his forearm that Nya's guessing was from Harumi, and ugly, purple bruising around his collarbone that's either from Harumi or Garmadon or both.

Pixal tells Lloyd to take off his shirt so she can see the wounds on his back, and Lloyd hesitantly obeys. Revealing cuts and bruises from being chucked through a dozen concrete walls. Nya bits her lip to hold back a growl, and gently prods the wounds on Lloyd's back, assessing the damage.

Lloyd flinches away violently when Nya pokes a particularly large bruise in the middle of his back. "Sorry, you okay?" Nya says, gently,

"I don't think okay is a word any of us can use again, but sure." Lloyd says, biting his lip and power walking through the pain. Nya laughs a bit at his comment, but the amount of subtext in a sentence like that is enough to send the warehouse back into silence.

* * *

About half an hour, Lloyd is released from the medical corner. Fully bandaged and everything. Nya massages her wrist, fiddling with the wrap Pixal put on it. There's a bang on the door, and everyone stiffens. Pixal makes a mad dash for the Samurai X mech, Misako and Lloyd take up fighting positions, and Nya pulls out her spear. Slowly inching towards the door, Nya swings it open and thrusts her spear at the person in the doorway.

A high pitched yelp catches them all off guard as Dareth stands in the doorway, a black bag in her shaking hands. "Dareth?!" Nya says, yanking him inside and slamming the door. "Where were you yesterday!? You never came back, we thought you got captured!"

Dareth sighs, breathing heavily. "There were SoGs everywhere! Looking for you guys, they were too close to the warehouse yesterday, so I went back to that pad I have on the east side of the city." Dareth explains, placing the sack on the ground. "Oh, this is food. From the noodle house."

"Thanks." Misako says, picking up the bag and passing it around. Pixal walks over from her mech, looking at Dareth quizzically.

"Did you and Misako fight Garmadon there?" Pixal says, looking at Nya.

"Yeah...we did. It;s where Misako and little - little Wu were." Nya says, eyes glassy at the mention of Wu. "Garmadon went to take him and me and Lloyd went to get them…"

Misako gasps, dropping her box of noodles to the floor in shock. "We have to leave, now!" She yells, just as the rumble of motorcycles make themselves known.

"The Sons of Garmadon knew we were there!" Lloyd says, catching on to what Pixal and his mother were getting at. "They must've been watching that place in case we went back!"

The roar of engines booms through the streets, and there's a mad dash to pack up the warehouse and scatter before the resistance against Garmadon and his rule is over before it even started. Pixal hops in the Samurai X mech, picking up Misako and Dareth in her metal fingers and running towards the back door.

"What is our destination?!" Pixal yells.

"Go to Skylor's! She might be able to help us!" Nya says, strapping her spear to her back.

"No, we can't put anyone else at risk!" Lloyd protests, picking up his sword. He won't put any of his friends and family in danger anymore. "It's my father we're dealing with, this is my fight."

Nya whirls on him, her eyes determined. "When will you get it through your thick skull that you are not alone?!" She retorts. "They killed my brother, my boyfriend. This war is personal now. We are in this together. This is everyone's fight, not just yours, Lloyd."

The green ninja huffs, but he won't argue. Nya's right, he doesn't have to go it alone anymore, everyone has lost someone in this war, so now they all must fight to make those losses worth it. They all must fight to win.

"So, Skylor's then?" Dareth asks. And he just four yells of "Yes, Dareth!" In responses. Pixal nods, slipping on her helmet, picking up Misako and Dareth, and flying away in her Samurai X mech.

Nya and Lloyd grab their weapons, running out the back door of the warehouse. The roar of bikes is too close now, and the two have to fight. Nya pulls out her spear, and Lloyd swings his sword.

A dozen or so SoGs file into the back alley Lloyd and Nya have positioned themselves in, smirking mischievously. Thankfully, Harumi is nowhere in sight, and neither is Garmadon. So the chances of getting out of the pickle the two ninja have found themselves in are in their favor.

For all of thirty seconds. Because not only did Harumi show up, Mask of hatred in hand, she also brought Garmadon. Fists blazing and eyes out for blood. The bikers slowly enclose Lloyd and Nya, boxing them in like the mice they are. Harumi and Lloyd lock eyes, a silent conversation that Nya doesn't understand.

Garmadon wastes no time charging at the two ninjas, and Harumi follows soon after. The last thing Nya wants is for Lloyd to fight Garmadon again, but Harumi runs straight for her, and Garmadon goes for Lloyd. So all she can do is hope that Liv can pull through one last time.

Lloyd tries to throw his hand pout, calling for strength that he doesn't have. Garmadon laughs, a bitter, terrible sound. "Where are your powers,_ dear brother?_" He taunts, hurling orbs of stolen power at Lloyd. The green ninja blocks the first blast, but the second hits home, and he falls.

"_Lloyd-!" _Nya yells, trying to get to him. Harumi runs at the water ninja, and Nya is forced farther away from her brother in arms.

Garmadon picks up the fallen Ninja by his hair, and Lloyd grunts, hands straying to his hair where it's being ripped from his scalp. Lloyd brings his sword up in a weak defense, and Garmadon swats it away.

"We wouldn't want to hurt your sister, now would we?" Garmadon says, then he leans in close, whispering into Lloyd's ear, "When you know she'll soon perish…"

Lloyd yells, swinging his fist at Garmadon. Lloyd's fist connects with his father's cheek, and he lets go of Lloyd's hair. "How do you know about that?!" Lloyd screams.

Garmadon wipes the blood from his split lip, smirking. "Ow." Is all he says, before running at Lloyd. "I know a lot of things you don't." He says, and Lloyd feels like he's back in Kryptarium, getting beaten to a pulp. "I have unlocked your sisters deep, dark secrets Her darkest dreams, what holds her back from greatness."

"Shut up!" Lloyd yells, picking up his sword and swinging blindly. Nya looks over at him, panic in her eyes.

_He's too angry, _Nya thinks. _He's going to get himself killed._ "If you ever cared for him." Nya says, her spear glinting dangerously close to Harumi's side. The Quiet One has yet to wear the mask of hatred, she could easily over power Nya with that. And yet Harumi won't use it.

"If you ever cared for Lloyd, if you were really friends with Liv, you'll call off the attack." Nya says, pulling her spear away from Harumi's side. The Quiet One aims a fist to Nya's stomach, grabbing the stunned Ninja and twisting her arm behind her back.

"I don't know what I feel towards either of them." Harumi whispers, low enough for only Nya to hear. "I don't know where I stand with Liv, and I don't know where I stand with Lloyd. But I do know If I leave, I will die."

Nya throws her elbow into Harumi's ribs, taking the opportunity to get out of the Quiet Ones grip. "Liv can take control." Nya grunts, keeping close to Harumi to continue their conversation, but far enough to make it look like they're still fighting. "She is stronger than you think, and if Liv wanted to kill you, she would've already done so."

"Then what's stopping her?" Harumi retorts, pulling out her dagger.

"She still sees you as her friend, Harumi. Not the Quiet One." Nya grunts, knocking the dagger from Harumi's hands with her spear. "But, you shouldn't worry about Liv killing you." Nya's spear finds Harumi's throat, and the two are eye to eye, waiting to see what the other will do.

"I want to see my hands around your throat and your blood on the floor." Nya says, her eyes flickering with the rage of her loss. "But I know that wouldn't be right. I know that Liv still believes in you, so I will, too." Nya's spear leaves Harumi's throat, and she backs away. "Help us, please. Be the friend Liv believes you are. Be the girl Lloyd fell in love with. Be the Harumi my brothers thought you were. Please, Harumi, please."

Harumi eyes flicker with longing, with apology, with indecision and fear. "I can't," She says, soft and choked. "He'll kill me." Harumi wants to run so badly, she misses her friend, and deep down, she misses Lloyd. But Garmadon will kill her, he won't rest until he finds her and slaughters her.

"We'll protect you, please, Rumi. Come with us, fight with us." Nya pleads, holding her hand out to Harumi.

Harumi bites her lip, looking around at her men. This is the goal she strives to achieve, this is what she devoted her life to, this is what she killed for.

So why does it feel so wrong?

Harumi looks at the sky, where the smoke of burning buildings pools in the crisp, winter air. The air smells like death, and sorrow. And it makes Harumi sick to think that she ever wanted this. What happened to the little girl who was obsessed with the ninja? What happened to the little girl who believed that the world was a wonderful, kind, beautiful place with all her heart? What happened to the little girl who was kind and loving?

That little girl didn't die with her parents like Harumi told herself. That little girl is still alive, just buried deep down under all of Harumi's anger and bitterness. And Harumi has proof of that, because when she was with Liv, before everything happened, that little girl was back in action.

And then she crawled back into her deep dark corner and let Harumi's demons take the wheel. And if what Nya says is true, that Liv can take control back from her maniacal father, and find the will to keep fighting after what she'd been forced to do in Kryptarium, after the death of her friends, then Harumi can keep fighting, too.

"Okay." Harumi says,taking Nya's hand. "I know that I have a long way to go before I can even dream of regaining some semblance of trust, but I want you to know that I won't let you down, and that I'm sorry."

"Thanks, now stop talking and show me!" Nya says, battling her way through the bikers circled around her.

Across the battlefield, Lloyd holds his sword out in warning, his eyes filled with rage. "I know what your sister fears and I know how to make them a reality!" Garmadon yells, landing a solid blow to Lloyd's head. His body swings with the punch, leaving Lloyd's head spinning.

"I know that she fears I'll kill you, and your blood will be on her hands!" Garmadon says, blasting Lloyd with dark energy. "But you don't care about that, do you, Lloyd? You would much rather die than have her die, well today must be your lucky day! Because I can make that happen."

Lloyd's own sword is in Garmadon's hands, the tip of the blade inches from Lloyds chest. Lloyd stares up at the blade, eyes wide. "And I also know what you fear, and what you want more than anything." Garmadon says.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Lloyd spits, glaring at his father.

"To save your sister from death!" Garmadon says, loud enough to draw the eyes of Nya and Harumi. "To evade destiny and save her life!" A pause, then softer, "And I know how."

Lloyd doesn't answer, but his eyes say all that Garmadon needs to continue. "I know that she dies by your hand. I know that you realize that the only way to stop me is to kill her."

"Stop." Lloyd says, weakly. He closes his eyes, trying to block out the stolen voice of his sister.

"I know that there is no escaping destiny, and that you know that too!"

"_Stop it-!"_

"I know that you will try everything to prevent her death and that it will mean nothing! Because she. _Still_. _**Dies!**_"

"STOP IT!" Lloyd screams, his eyes livid with rage. All the eyes of the battlefield turn to him, and Lloyd rolls as Garmadon tries to skewer him. "I will not let her die!"

Garmadon laughs at Lloyd's rage, shooting him with dark energy and pushing the sword into Lloyd's arm. The Green Ninja grunts in pain, and Nya's panicked scream echoes through the streets. Garmadon's sword comes back red with blood, and he smirks as he takes the sword and rubs the blood on his stolen hands.

"Now, your blood is on her hands." Garmadon says, rubbing Lloyds blood over Liv's hands. A flame light's in his eyes, a determined, enraged, and protective flame. Garmadon staggers, falling against a wall and dropping the sword.

The battlefield is still as Garmadon shouts, screaming at the voice in his head and fighting for control of something that was never his to begin with. Garmadon slumps, and lays still for a beat. Nya runs over to Lloyd, ripping off a piece of her gi and wrapping it around Lloyd's arm.

"I'm fine, Nya." Lloyd says. The cut was deep, but it's not important. He walks over to Liv, a hand hovering over her face.

The blond girl gasps, shooting up and promptly knocking heads with Lloyd. "Oh! Sorry!" She says, laughing. Lloyd throws himself at her, and Liv hugs him tightly. The remaining SoG sit in stunned silence, having no clue of what to do.

Liv's laughs turn to watery, choked tears, and she pulls back, holding Lloyd at arms length. "Is it true? Is that why you were afraid of me leaving?" She says. Lloyd nods, and Liv pulls him closer.

"Well. if anyone can rewrite destiny, it's you Lloyd. You could move a mountain if you really wanted to." Liv chuckles, her bloody hands carding through Lloyd's sweaty blond locks. "And I will be with you. Every step of the way. I promise."

Lloyd buries his head in Liv's shoulder, he saw her yesterday but that feels like a lifetime ago. Everything that's happened in the last few days feels like a lifetime ago. Liv and Lloyd finally pull away, and Nya runs in for the hug soon after.

"Our brothers would be so proud of you." Nya says, wetly.

"They'd be proud of you too, Nya. You're strong, but remember that you don't always have to be. Lloyd, and My mother and Pixal, we're all here for you when you need us." Liv whispers back, and Nya laughs.

"Right back at you." Nya breathes, pulling Lloyd into a side hug. Harumi stands awakly off to the side, away from Liv and the remaining Ninja. Liv looks her way, and simply smiles. And Harumi slowly walks forwards.

"I - I just-" Harumi starts, but Liv just pulls her into a hug, and all words are silently spoken.

"I knew you'd come around." Liv says. "Thank you."

Harumi beams, and surprisingly, Nya slowly swings an arm around their former enemy. Lloyd looks at Harumi, and Harumi meets his gaze with apologetic eyes. Lloyd nods, understanding the message. _They'll talk later._

"Don't worry, Liv." Harumi says, her eyes glowing with confidence. "We're going to stop destiny." She says.

"Yeah, destiny's taken enough from our family, and it will take no more!" Lloyd says, throwing his non-injured arm in the air. Small, tiny green sparks explode from his palm, and the new resistance smiles. Lloyd pushes harder, and the warmth of his power slowly fills the bitter cold of his heart. More sparks explode from his hands, sending out a firework of emerald energy.

Liv holds her hand up, and violet sparks join the mix of color in the evening sky. "Garmadon thinks he can divide us, that we will fall!" She yells, looking around at her team.

"But if we fall together," Nya continues, sending a ribbon of glistening water to circle the sparks in the sky.

"We will rise together!" Harumi says, her eyes radiant with unseen power.

"And we will rise stronger than ever before!"

The sparks of power light up the sky, and the voices of the Resistance echo in the hopeless streets of a fallen city. The sun rose on a destroyed, on a broken, on a lost city. But now hope rings through the streets like a bell and through the air like the wind that rustles the leaves of a tree. The sun will set on the old, broken city, and it will rise again on a powerful one. Because there's one overlooked fact about hope.

It spreads like a wildfire. And this fire can't be put out.

* * *

**Ha, ha ha. Ha. So, what'd you guys think? How did I do on Harumi's redemption? I just love Harumi so much, she has so much potential that's just so overlooked in the show. But aside from that, the secret is out! And things are getting intense with the final showdown, the race to change destiny, and just the overall last few chapters of this story. **

**I can't believe it, we're close to the end guys. It's hard to think about! This story is like my child XD.**

**Next time: The Resistance joins forces with Skylor and the other elemental master, and rewriting destiny is harder than the First Spinjitzu Master made it seem. All while Harumi is adjusting to her new life, and others are still weary of her.**

_**GreenGirl~**_


	23. What was I thinking?

**It takes two**

**Chapter 23**

**What was I thinking?**

**SilverCerulean: Aw, thank you! Harumi is one of my favorites, too. **

**Marysue9084: Thank you for the advice, I'm trying to keep everyone in character, so your advice is great!**

**PrincePacman47: While i'm sure having Harumi with him will help, you have to remember what, exactly, she did to him. And as much as I would love to sweep all that betrayal and heartbreak under the rug, I can't. Because I need to give Lloyd the time to try and forgive Harumi, because that's something we never got in the show. And because Harumi's worn a mask her whole life, it's going to be hard for her to finally take it off. Because like the old saying goes; **_**Old habits die hard. **_**And yes, Morro is a prime example that destiny can be defied.**

**Oh and people, go read PrincePacman's 'The tournament of elements' and the squall 'March of the villains.' Absolutely _amazing _stories! And quick fyi, the character profile for my OC from 'A package deal' is up.**

* * *

Garmadon was absolutely _furious _with Liv. The blond girl doesn't really care, though. She _is _pretty proud of herself at the moment. She'd managed to stall her father and the SoGs long enough for Harumi, Nya, and Lloyd to make it safely to...wherever they were headed. She can't risk her friends and brothers safety by knowing where their Resistant base is. So for now, Liv will use her twin telepathy to find Lloyd when she needs to.

"You are _never _taking control again, you hear me, Girl?" Garmadon sneers, pacing back and forth at the top of Borg tower.

'_This is my body, and my powers, and my life. So if anything, I should be the one telling you that you'll never take control again.'_ Liv says, albeit for the sole sake of getting on her father's nerves.

"Ah, and yet I am the one who is still in control while you sit in the darkness of your own mind." Garmadon snaps, whirling around to face an enemy only visible to him, and him alone.

'_I'm stronger than before, father.' _Liv says, eyeing her father. _'And I will not be pushed aside so easily.'_

"We will see." Garmadon says, walking away. Liv stays, staring over the city before she's pulled back to her father.

'_We shall see, indeed.'_

* * *

Harumi hung back behind Nya and Lloyd as they ran through the back alleys of Ninjago city, still reeling from the choice she just made, and wondering what will happen next. Nya and Lloyd whisper softly to each other, probably talking about the coming future that awaits Liv.

Harumi knows why she made her choice, she knows why she made all her choices, good and bad both. She chose to dawn the mask of the Quiet One when her parents died, she swore to avenge them by resurrecting Lord Garmadon, and making sure Lloyd suffered for what he did to her, so that's what she did. She lied, she wore masks, hid secrets, got close to the twins and the ninja, she was fake. Because Harumi will only know when she's made the wrong choice when her knees begin to buckle. And her knee's might just give out.

She blew up the Jade Palace and killed the Emperor and Empress, she did what she had too, and her plan was in action. All the gears of her master scheme were working in perfect harmony. She was close to Lloyd, and she had his trust. That's all she needed. Harumi could see herself easily forgetting all about Lloyd, all about the way he smiled at her, all about the way he looked at her, talked with her, loved her.

Harumi told herself that when she was finished, Lloyd would never look at her like that again, he would look at her with the same rage that glows in Harumi's eyes. He would despise her, and that's what she wanted. She was okay with that.

But now Harumi messed up. Because she got too close to her enemy. _Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. _ Harumi kept her enemy too close, opened doors that she should've kept locked, opened her heart to someone she trained herself to hate with every fiber of her being.

And now her enemy has become her friend. And Harumi has no idea what to do.

She chose to leave the Sons of Garmadon in the dust, chose to join The Resistance to save her friend from death and take back the city she ruined. But that doesn't mean the decision was well thought out.

Sometimes, you gotta take chances. Harumi took a chance with the Sons of Garmadon, with Lloyd, with Liv. She took those chances, and now she's taking a chance with The Resistance. But how will Harumi know if she's taken too many chances? How will she know when she's putting too much faith in a chance?

How is Harumi supposed to just….just discard the mask she's worn almost her entire life? How is she supposed to be real with these people when she trained herself to be anything but? Harumi knows that there was something in the web of lies she fed to the Ninja, to Lloyd. And she doesn't know if he's in love with her, or the mask of the perfect Jade Princess. Does he still feel love where there wasn't supposed to be?

Does Harumi herself find love where there wasn't supposed to be?

Nya and Lloyd stop suddenly, and Harumi almost runs into them. She steps back, looking at the back entrance of what she can only assume is Skylor Chen's noodle house. Lloyd hesitates briefly before knocking twice on the steel door.

A few beats of tense silence pass, with Nya, Lloyd, and Harumi constantly looking over their shoulders. Keeping an eye in every shadow as if Garmadon will come out and strangle them. A slot in the steel door opens, revealing a pair of hazel eyes. Lloyd and Nya shift, startled.

No doubt thinking of their lost big brother.

"Who are you? And why are you here?" The voice from the other end of the steel door demands. The voice of a woman they knew well.

"Old friends." Nya says, moving so Skylor can see her, and blocking Harumi from view. "And we need some help."

The slot closes, and the steel door swings open with the creak of weak metal. Skylor's eyes fall on Nya and Lloyd, and she hugs them both, dragging them inside. Harumi has an awkward moment to wonder if she should follow Nya and Lloyd inside, or if she should wait outside for a bit.

"I guess I'll wait here, then." Harumi says to herself as the steel door closes.

Inside the noodle shop, Skylor's eyes rove over the two ninja, tears in them. "I saw." She says, with uncharacteristic sorrow. It's tearing Lloyd apart to see such sadness in her normal bright, hazel eyes.

Skylor looks at Lloyd with a pitying gaze. "I saw what happened from the roof, I saw you." Skylor whispers, her eyes glassy with memories as she looks at Lloyd. Unlike Nya, and Pixal, and his mother and Liv, Lloyd actually _saw _his brothers die. He could almost feel their panic as the colossus grabbed the Bounty.

And Harumi was right there, laughing.

_Laughing. _

_Laughing!_

_**Laughing!**_

She was laughing as his brothers were crushed. And now he's working with her? _This could be another trap, _Lloyd thinks. This could be another mask, another lie meant to break them, destroy them. End The Resistance before it has the chance to start. Tear them apart from the inside, then squash them like bugs.

Does Lloyd trust Harumi again? Liv trusts her, Nya...might trust her. But does Lloyd? Should he open his heart to the same person who broke it? Should he bring down his walls and let her back in? Or should he freeze his heart to the one person who continues to set it ablaze?

Nya and Skylor hug, pulling Lloyd in with them. They grieve together, let their tears fall together, and they remember their friends together. And now they're united under one cause, kept alive by one heartbeat, one mind telling them that they must keep going.

"We left her outside." Lloyd says, softly. He'd forgotten about Harumi.

"Huh?" Skylor says, pulling back from the hug and towards the steel door. She opens the door, and stops dead at who stands in the alley behind the noodle house. "_You_." Skylor gasps, her expressing morphing into unbridled rage.

Harumi stands silently in the doorway, making herself stand taller, masking her fear with shocking efficiency. "You're the reason they're dead." Skylor says, her eyes alive with the fire that burned in Kai, in the fire that burns in her shattered heart. "You're the reason Kai is dead!"

Harumi shrinks back the slightest bit under Skylors anger. The redhead stands a few inches taller than Harumi, but the former Quiet One squares her shoulders, trying not to give out under the pressure of her choices, and the lives that those choices cost.

She killed the ninja, yes. She got what she wanted, Harumi saw Garmadons return, sort of. And she saw Lloyd crumble like she did as a kid. And that's what she wanted, but now how does she apologize for the lives she took?

Does Harumi even want to apologize?

She's the Quiet One, she is. That's the mask Harumi wore for so long, and it doesn't feel like a mask to her. It feels like her. Who _is _Harumi? Who is she trying to be? Who is she trying to fool? Harumi has lived behind masks and lies. Painted masks, and Oni masks. Little white lies and huge, dark, life changing lies.

Skylor is in her face now, Lloyd and Nya are standing awkwardly off to the side. "What the _hell_ is this?" Skylor says, looking at Nya and Lloyd.

"She's...with us. The Resistance." Nya says, slowly. She spears Harumi with a piercing gaze, trying to read her. To see if Harumi really is a part of The Resistance.

Skylor scoffs. "Really?" She sniffs, looking at Harumi in distaste. "You're a part of The Resistance against the demon you brought back?"

"Yes, I am." Harumi says, she hears a bit of the Quiet One come to life in the cold, icy tone of her voice.

"No, you're not." Skylor says, standing over Harumi. "How do you expect us to trust you after everything you did?"

Harumi doesn't answer right away, and Skylor crosses her arms. Waiting for Harumi's answer. Nya asked Harumi if she really cared, if she ever cared. And Harumi told her that she doesn't know.

Nya came to Harumi out of pure, last ditch desperation. And Harumi made the quick choice to read the next chapter of her life, instead of re-reading the older ones. But Nya asks Harumi to be the girl Lloyd fell in love with, or the friend that Liv believes she is, or the girl the fallen Ninja thought her to be.

The problem is, that Harumi was a mask, a lie. A mirage that showed the Ninja what they wanted to see, told them what they wanted to hear. And Harumi doesn't know how to wear that mask again.

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness." Harumi says at last, her eyes meeting with Skylor, Nya, and Lloyd. "I'm not asking for your trust, either." She looks at Lloyd, staring deep into his scarlet eyes. "I just - just want to try and see...If I can be better, be who you all thought I was."

Lloyd cracks a hesitant smile, daring himself to let the wall down, if only a little bit. Skylor still looks weary of Harumi, but she huffs and walks away. Harumi stares after Skylor as she leaves.

"Oh, don't think I forgot about what Garmadon said about Liv. We'll talk later." Nya adds, shooting Harumi a fire glare in warning before following Skylor. The message that the stare holds is all too clear. _Touch him, and I'll kill you._

Harumi sighs, running a hand through her white hair. Her hair is longer than Harumi would like, and she's getting tired of this runny, jagged red paint on her face, too. Lloyd stares at Harumi oddly, like he wants to talk, but also doesn't know if he should strangle her.

"If you have anything to say to me, might as well say it now." Harumi huffs, slipping a small rubber band from her pocket to tie her hair up.

"I don't even know where to _start _with you." Lloyd says, jumping up to sit on top of the back counter with his knees pulled up to his chest.

Harumi is caught off guard by how young the action makes him look. With his pale blond hair a tangled mess, his scarlet eyes wide and bright, his cheeks puffed out in exasperation, It's easy to forget that Lloyd is not as old as he seems. And it's a slight comfort to see that she's not the only one wearing a mask.

But Harumi still scoffs, raising an eyebrow. "You can start by showing me where the bathroom is." She says, looking around.

Lloyd doesn't answer at first, looking like he's trying to remember himself. "Down this hall and to the left." Lloyd finally says, softly. Harumi nods as she leaves. The noodle house is deserted, and soft chatter from upstairs catches Harumi's attention.

From what she can tell, it's Nya and Skylor. In the middle of a hushed argument. Harumi's name on angry lips floats through the air, and Harumi quietly heads up the stairs, stopping right behind the banister.

The stairs open up to a whole other floor of the noodle shop. It looks almost like an apartment. Skylor and Nya stand in front of each other, their voices mingling into a soft, but intense debate. A man with a straw hat sits in a chair in what could be a little kitchen, watching the two girls squabble with a slightly amused grin.

"...I do not trust her!' Skylor says, her voice low.

"I don't trust her either, but Liv does. And we need all the help we can get." Nya argues.

"_Liv_ is also the one trapped in her own mind by her bloodthirsty, murdering maniac of a father! So why are we trusting her again?" Skylor hisses in retort.

"Liv's the reason we made it here! And Harumi is her friend." Nya bites, slumping down onto the couch and rubbing her temples. Skylor loses a bit of her steam, and sits down next to the raven haired girl.

"We just have to." Nya says, barely a whisper. "We didn't believe her once, and now look where we are."

"I just think we should watch her, and keep our guard up, that's all." Skylor finally sighs, and Nya nods.

Harumi slowly walks back down stares and towards the bathroom. "I'm helping you, aren't I? " Harumi grumbles once she's in the restroom. She turns on the water, ready to wash her face.

These people don't even trust her! What's the point? Why help them? Questions like those fill Harumi's head as she washes the red paint off her face, putting her hair into a high ponytail. Harumi looks at herself in the mirror before turning the lights out. She thinks about walking around the noodle house, but decides to go towards the back of the shop where Lloyd still waits. She did say they'll talk later.

As expected, Lloyd still sits on top of the counter, his eyes flickering with memory. He blinks when Harumi comes in, and even attempts to smile. Harumi sits on the counter across from him, and the faintest hints of a smile grace her features.

"Look." Harumi says, if Lloyd's not going to say anything, then she will. Because sure, Harumi chose to join The Resistance on a last ditch request, and she really didn't think it through. And sure she was glad in the moment, she didn't have second thoughts in the moment. With all the "We will rise" stuff, and Liv's future being revealed, Harumi was feeling pretty confident.

But come on, really? "We will rise stronger than ever!" That's not her, sure she's all for teamwork and all that jazz (Maybe). But - just...really? "I'm all for stopping Garmadon and saving Liv, really I am!" Harumi says, fiddling with her hair. "But I just." A sigh. Where was she going with this again? "I'm not the perfect princess that you thought I was, and I'm not sure what it is you expect from me. Because I know there was something in that for you, but there _wasn't supposed _to be something there for _me_."

Something about that sentence sets Lloyd off, and he glares at Harumi. "Stop, just stop." Lloyd says, waving his hands in the air. "Stop playing with my heart just because you can't figure out your own." He says, hopping down from the counter and heading up the stairs towards Skylor and Nya.

Harumi sits silently on the counter, shocked. "Oh Lloyd." Harumi sighs, getting down from the counter. "I wish I could."

* * *

Liv sits quietly in the darkness of her mind, tapping her foot patiently. She could easily contact Lloyd if she really wanted to, maybe even visit him with her little spirit thing. Her father isn't really good company to have.

He's been in a mood since Harumi swapped sides, and Liv is enjoying every second of the entertainment. But she can only watch Garmadon yell at poor bikers before she's bored.

She thinks about what she now knows, the path that she's forced herself to walk. Liv can picture how it happens, though. It's really quite obvious. Garmadon and Lloyd were probably battling, that final duel to regain the city and vanquish the darkness once and for all.

But Lloyd can't kill Garmadon without killing her, and now he knows that.

So now he won't do it.

It's not that Liv _wants _to die. She would much rather stay alive, and be with her brother. But how is he supposed to defeat Garmadn if he's too worried about her? Because unless Lloyd can figure out a way to separate Garmadon' mind from Liv's, then well…

It's like killing two birds with one stone.

Liv is ready to make the choice when the time comes, because she knows that Lloyd won't. And as much as she hates to take that choice away from him, she has to. Because unless destiny can be averted, unless they can change the future, then Liv will die. Either at her own hand, or Lloyds.

* * *

"So, Lloyd. We need to know how it happened." Nya says, gently. Lloyd shifts, biting his lip. He doesn't want to talk about it, he doesn't want to even remember it. But he knows he has to, if only just so they can make a plan to stop it.

"It's going to be dark and cloudy, and I heard a dregon?" Lloyd says. Nya raises her eyebrows at the dragon part, but doesn't say anything. "We were at the top of Borg Tower, just me and her."

Nya and Skylor nod, not wanting to push the touchy subject. "There's a lot of holes in that little prophecy." Ronin says, sitting up in his chair. "What time did it happen? What day?"

"I don't know, Ronin." Lloyd huffs, his head in his hands. "I'm just telling you what my grandfather showed me."

Ronin sighs, but sits back down, eyeing Harumi. "So why's she here?" He asks, jerking a thumb in Harumi's direction.

"She's helping, apparently." Skylor says, disbelief clear in her voice. Ronin nods, turning away from Harumi and sipping at a cup of coffee.

"So basically, if we keep Liv and Lloyd away from Borg tower, and watch the weather and keep an eye out for….any dragons, we should be able to prevent this." Nya says, it's a vague plan and they all know it, but the dragons should be a dead giveaway of when they need to find Liv and keep her away from Borg tower.

"Okay, that could work." Skylor agress. "We keep Lloyd and Liv as far from each other as possible until this is all over."

Lloyd nods hesitantly. It's a long-shot, but it could work. Just like the final battle. Keep Lloyd away from Liv long enough to stall the future, and they should be able to pull this off. Everyone nods in agreement, and their shaky plan is in action.

Great, one problem partially solved. Now onto the other two thousand.

* * *

**This was...a weird chapter to write. I dunno. I kinda completely forgot about Misako and Pixal and Dareth in this chapter, but they'll be in the next one. ****How did I do? **

**Next time: The Resistance flee Skylor's noodle shop when their cover is blown, the elemental masters come to their aid, Mystake provides some much needed closure and wisdom, and Lloyd finds his voice.**

_**GreenGirl~**_


	24. Mission impossible

**It takes two **

**Chapter 24**

**Mission impossible**

**PrincePacman47: I honestly think that the red paint might've been blood...but hey, we may never know. Harumi changing her appearance is more of her trying to change her ways, and trying to move past her mask as the Jade princess and The Quiet One. Now she's just trying to be Harumi. Lloyd is definitely not trying to open his heart to Harumi after she broke it, but he's definitely bringing down some walls. And don't worry, I'm trying to have Harumi be cool with everyone, but I can't rush it. I will not rush her redemption. Lol that would really suck if I killed Harumi **_**and **_**Liv. But thankfully, Harumi is safe. Liv i'm not so sure. You'll have to wait and see what I do for her.**

**Can I just say thank you all for over 20 reviews? Like really guys over 20 reviews, thank you! Oh, almost forgot, as of now this story has officially strayed from the events of the show. **

**Warning for language I guess? And the fact that I had**_** too much fun**_** with this chapter and it's unreasonably long? Guys there will be some less savery words here.**

* * *

Misako didn't handle it well.

But, in hindsight, Nya really shouldn't have expected her to. Heck, they're all still trying to grieve for their brothers, and with Liv's current situation and the murderer who's responsible for the death of said brother now joining The Resistance...everyone is pretty tense.

Saving the city has sadly taken a back seat on their list of priorities.

Nya's got a lot on her hand, okay? She's trying to cope with the loss of her brother, boyfriend, and her best friends. _While_ trying to be there for Lloyd and help him lead The Resistance, save his sister from death, try not to strangle Harumi, and stop Garmadon. She feels like a balloon about to pop.

But all other problems aside, telling Misako about Liv's future was hard. Liv is her daughter after all, and after everything, they deserve to be together. Aside from the distressed mother, Pixal seems to enjoy poking holes in their plan.

"That plan is _not logical_." Pixal says, her bright green eyes firm. "Confrontation between Lloyd and Liv is inevitable, and not to mention vital if we wish to save the city."

"What makes you so certain that _Lloyd _is the only one who can stop Garmadon?" Ronin scoffs, eyeing the blonde teen. "I mean, he's powerless. Literally."

Lloyd stiffens, glaring at Ronin halfheartedly. "He is not _powerless_." Nya defends. "It's his sister-"

"And that's exactly why Lloyd shouldn't be the one to stop her!" Misako cuts in. The room falls silent, all eyes averted from the elder woman.

Nya puts a hand on Lloyd's shoulder, trying to comfort him as much as possible. His scarlet eyes are glassy with tears, silent sobs racking his small frame. Harumi looks away as Skylor glares at her, biting her lip

"There is no alternative." Pixal finally says, her voice a low whisper. "I have run countless options, and there was no outcome where the city was saved, and Liv survived."

Misako breaks down, silent tears running down her cheeks. Nya rubs soothing circles on Lloyd's back as he cries. _Damn logical thought. Since when did they use logical thought? _Sadly, it was the truth that they all knew, but never wanted to admit. Harumi wipes furiously at her eyes, trying to stop herself from joining this sob fest.

She has no right to cry, not when she dragged Liv into this mess. Liv would probably be right here if it hadn't been for her, happy with Lloyd and planning how to stop Garmadon and Harumi, not trying to figure out how to stop her own death-

Harumi's face lights up with a smile. "The masks!" She shouts. Blood shot eyes look up at her, quizzical. "The Oni masks!" Harumi continues, standing up from her seat at the small table next to Ronin and gesturing wildly with her hands. "The Oni masks brought Garmadon here, so maybe they can send him back."

"That - That could work." Pixal says at the other skeptical expressions.

It's not that Nya doesn't _trust _Harumi, she might. Maybe? A little bit? Not really, Nya's trust in Harumi is very, very little Practically non-existent. Because this is the girl that lied to them, for _weeks_!

But Nya might not trust Harumi, but she does trust that Harumi does care about Liv. Nya believes that Harumi and Liv's friendship wasn't a lie. "So we use the Oni masks to send Garmadon back to the departed realm? Wouldn't he take Liv with him?" Skylor says, raising one, quizzical eyebrow.

"Not necessarily? The masks should just pull Garmadon from Liv's mind." Harumi adds, glaring at Skylor. All eyes look to Lloyd, and the blond nods slowly.

"I say we try it." He says, his eyes locking with Haumi before she looks away.

"Your plan is great and all," Ronin says, smirking. "But the Oni masks are somewhere in Borg tower. How are we supposed to break in there, and steal the three things that are probably the most guarded?" The theft sniffs, setting down his coffee cup. "Sneaking into a heavily guarded tower is a _little _out of my pay grade."

The room falls silent once again, and Harumi shifts. "Well," She says, unclipping a violet relic from her belt. "The mask of hatred is as good a start than any." The white haired girl says, holding up her mask for all to see.

"Welp, guess were breaking into Garmadon base, then." Ronin huffs, sitting back in his chair.

The rest of the afternoon is spent trying to iron out a solid way to get in and out of Borg tower with the Oni masks, and Harumi is way more useful than the others gave her credit for. Pointing out places where guards are gathered, and how long they'll be there. The smartest way to get in and out of the tower, and, last but certainly not least…

Where the Oni masks are hidden.

* * *

The next day, Pixal, Skylor, Harumi, Lloyd, and Ronin made their way through the streets of Ninjago city. Using the shadows and alleys to their advantage, the hastily made their way towards Borg tower. Dareth and Misako are hidden at Skylor's noodle shop, standing by on the radio's in case the plan went south.

"Look, I'm all for you ninjas reckless little schemes, but come on! We're sneaking into his vault-" Ronin whispers, running close behind Nya and Lloyd.

"Put a sock in it, Ronin." Nya hisses, making a left into an alleyway and scrambling up a fire escape to the roof. Ronin huffs, but keeps his doubts to himself.

Lloyd slows down a bit, running next to Harumi. "You sure this'll work?" He asks, his voice low. Harumi doesn't look at him, her hair swaying behind her like a ray of pale moonlight.

"I'm positive." Harumi says, curtly. Lloyd stares at her a moment longer before tearing his scarlet eyes away.

Before they know it, Nya, Skylor, Pixal, Harumi, Ronin and Lloyd are standing on the roof of the building across from Borg tower. The tall building towers over them, casting a large shadow over the smaller building occupied by The Resistance.

Pixal flips open a compartment on his arm, revealing a 3D hologram of Borg tower. "The safest way to get into the tower is here." Harumi says, gesturing towards the back side of Borg tower, closest to the rooftop The Resistance members are on. "If we use the skytram cables, then we can get up to this window on the twentieth floor. The vault should be on the twenty first."

Everyone nods, somewhat hesitantly. But they follow Lloyd's lead as he runs towards the side of the building and leaps off onto the nearest skytram. The tram shudders, the roof bending under Lloyd's feet. He holds a hand out to stop Nya from running next, and brings his foot down hard on the tram, once he's deemed it safe, Nya runs up next, grabbing Ronin by the arm and using twin jets of water to propel her and the thief forward. Pixal goes next, landing solidly on the tram.

Harumi goes last, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes as she sprints towards the edge of the building. Kicking off the roof and springing for the skytram. She lands none too gracefully, losing her balance and slipping.

With a yelp, Harumi stumbles from the tram when firm hands grip her wrist, pulling her back up atop the skytram. Harumi nods in thanks towards Lloyd, and the blond slowly lets go of her wrist. Ronin chuckles, letting out a low whistle.

Lloyd turns around swiftly, shooting Ronin a fierce glare. His cheeks heat, and Lloyd turns around. "Let's keep moving." He says, ignoring the flare in his heart and the fire in his cheeks. The group hasilty, but carefully, race across the sky tram cables. Flipping over the inactive cars and balancing on the thick cables until they reached the window on the twentieth floor of Borg tower.

Lloyd motions for the others to jump across onto the window sill, and they hesitantly obey. Nya, Skylor, and Pixal leap across without a second thought, having Ninja for brothers had advantages. While Harumi followed with a bit of reluctance, and Lloyd soon after until Ronin was the only one left on the skytram.

"Reckless, idiotic kids." Ronin grumbles under his breath as he jumps onto the window sill, Nya quickly steadies him, and the small group inch their way across the side of Borg tower towards the supposedly unlocked twentieth window.

The drop from Borg tower at the height there at now would certainly be deadly, so Ronin can complain all he wants about how slow the small group is moving at, but honestly, he can put a sock in it, Lloyd thinks with a grin as he slowly slides his feet along the wall.

"Here, this is it." Harumi says, stopping in front of a large window.

"Pixal, are the camera's shut off yet?" Nya asks, eyeing the silver haired nindroid.

Pixal taps at a panel on her wrist, holding up three fingers and slowly counting down. When she got to one, the group peaked inside the window, watching as the floor's security cameras shut down. Harumi pulls out the mask of hatred. Skylor eyes the mask wearily before glaring in warning at the white haired girl.

Harumi ignores Skylor's fiery look as she slips on the mask, the familiar power coursing through her as she smirks, letting the power settle before she slams her stone fist into the glass window. The window shatters instantly, glass raining down on the pristine marble floors. Harumi steps inside, the glass crunching like fresh snow beneath her feet. The rest of the Resistance steps in after Harumi, Nya eyeing the broken glass and Lloyd checking the hall for any guards. He's not surprised when he comes up empty, Harumi did say that the guards on this floor wouldn't be here for thirty minutes, tops.

"As of right now," Pixal starts the timer on her arm panel. "We officially only have thirty two minutes and seventeen seconds until the camera's turn back on this floor, and the floor holds the masks."

"Alright." Lloyd says, turning back to face his team. "We're on the clock now, guys. Let's make this quick." He says, talking to Ronin, Pixal, Skylor, and Harumi like he would Kai, Cole, Zane, Jay, and Nya. Like this was just some mission he was going on with his brothers.

Lloyd swallows, pushing his grief back into its little _Do not touch _box in the back of Lloyd's mind. He's fully aware that he's _suppressing his trauma_, But Lloyd knows Nya is, too. And so is Pixal and Skylor and Misako. Because they have bigger things to worry about, and The Resistance cannot afford to have their leader curl up in a ball and sob somewhere. _His sister needs him to be strong._ So for now, Lloyd will stuff all his _trauma _and _pain _and _heartbreak _and just _all of his stupid, stupid emotions_ in the box, and they will_ sit there_ until Lloyd deems them ready to come out.

"I thought you said the window would be _open_." Skylor bites, glaring at Harumi.

The white haired girl rolls her eye, taking off the mask of hatred and clipping it back on her belt. "It's open now, isn't it?" Harumi snaps, meeting Skylor's glare with her own.

Skylor scoffs, stepping up to Harumi's challenge. Ronin huffs out a laugh, shaking his head patronizingly at the two girls. "Alright, girls. Enough with the cat fights." He breaths. Harumi and Skylor hold their ground for a moment longer before finally breaking apart.

Lloyd sighs, running a hand through his tangled, blonde locks. Nya places a hand on his shoulder, and they keep moving down towards the staircase leading to the twenty-first floor. Harumi takes the lead, much to Lloyd's chagrin. It makes sense, really. She knows the tower better than them at the moment.

She stops at the door to the twenty-first floor, slowly pushing the door open and checking the hall. The cameras are shut off, too. And the guards voices echo faintly down the hall. Steadily disappearing from earshot.

The vault is in the middle of the hall. One, large steel door that looks impossible to break into. Yet, that's exactly what The Resistance plans on doing. "Pix, can you get that door open?" Nya asks.

"We shall see." Pixal says, running up to the vault and tapping away at the control panel.

"Wait, you're telling me that this whole time, you kids didn't even know if you could get into the vault?" Ronin asks, incredulous. Silence greets him, but silence is all the answer he needs. The thief scoffs, taking off his straw hat to run a hand through his auburn hair in exasperation.

A soft click resounds through the hall, and all eyes turn at the sound of creaking metal. Pixal steps back from the control panel with a satisfied smirk. The steel door opens with the whirring of metal.

A smile breaks across Lloyd's face, and Nya pulls him into a hug from behind, ruffling the blond's hair. Skylor cheers silently, patting Pixal on the shoulder as Ronin pushes open the door and-

The vault is empty.

"Okay, what the hell?!" Skylor says, her previous mood forgotten as she rushes into the empty fault.

"What in the world…?" Nya says, quietly. Lloyd stares bewildered at the vault where two Oni masks should be.

"What the f*ck?" Ronin says, ignoring Nya's gasp. She swats his shoulder, gesturing wildly at Lloyd. The blond rolls his eyes, resisting the urge to remind Nya that he was raised at a school for terrible children. He's no stranger to cussing.

"Where are the masks?" Pixal asks, looking around the vault. All eyes float over toward Harumi, who's been surprisingly quiet.

"What?" The white haired girl says, looking around.

"Where are the masks, _Harumi?" _Skylor says, her voice low and threatening.

"There supposed to be in that vault!" Harumi almost shouts, gesturing at the vault.

"Yeah, well, there not!" Skylor continues, taking a step towards Harumi.

"What? You think _I _had something to do with it?" Harumi scoffs, offended. "I was with you the whole time!"

"Guys, guys stop it!" Lloyd pipes up, shoving his way between the two. "Or you're gonna alert the guards."

"Too late." Nya says, peering over the steel door and down the hall, where two silhouettes are visible._ The guards. _

"I thought we had _thirty minutes _until the guards came back!" Ronin hisses, his eyes darting around the corner.

"I said we had thirty minutes until the security cameras turned back on!" Pixal snaps, her green eyes panicked.

"This is your fault, you sold us out!" Skylor says, pointing an accusatory finger at Harumi, who smacks it away.

"I did not!" Harumi bites, indignantly.

Lloyd shushes them all. "All of you be quiet!" He whisper-shouts. "We are not leaving without the masks. Harumi, where else would Garmadon keep them if they're not here?!"

The white haired girl purses her lips, thinking. Nya's foot taps quickly on the floor as the guards voices grow louder. "I know where, but you're not gonna like it." Harumi finally says.

"Just lead the way." Lloyd says impacialy as he shoves them all from the vault before following the rest of his team back up the stairs. Killow and another biker come around the hall, stopping dead at the open vault door.

"Sound the alarms! We have an intruder!" The grey skinned giant demands, and the biker pulls out a small device, mashing one of the buttons. Loud, obnoxious sirens ring through the tower, along with flashing red lights.

Nya groans loudly, and Skylor curses under her breath. Reluctantly following Harumi up the stairs of Borg tower. "The Sons of Garmadon know we are here, the camera's will only remain off for less than five minutes." Pixal informs the group.

"Yeah, no shit they know we're here!" Ronin yells. "If the _damn sirens_ weren't enough of a hint!"

Pixal bites back a snarky retort as she switches off her hologram. "Here, right here! This door!" Harumi says, kicking open the door at the top of the stairwell. This leads the small group into a large room. _A large bedroom._

"This is Garmadon's quarters." Nya breaths, looking around.

"Oh great, just-" Ronin starts, but a glare from Lloyd shuts him up.

"The masks better be here, and if they're not, then we need to get the hell outta here." Skylor says over the blaring sirens. The group fans out across the room, opening drawers and checking the walls for any hidden compartments.

A trunk at the back of the room catches Lloyd's eyes,, and he heads towards it, trying to pry it open. It won't budge. Lloyd tries again, grunting with strain before he finally lets up. "Here, I think I found them!" Lloyd says, the others quickly race over towards the trunk. And a small laser sprouts from Pixal's arm, she brings the heated beam down on the trunk, and it cracks open like a walnut.

Inside the trunk are two Oni masks.

The Resistance cheers, clapping each other on the back and sighing in relief. In the moment, Lloyd goes to hive five Harumi, but he pulls back at the last second. Harumi and him awkwardly stare at each other before turning away.

Skylor grabs the mask of deception while Nya grabs the mask of vengeance, and the group quickly makes their escape. Ronin throws open the door back to the stairwell, laughing. "Time to blow this popsicle-"

Voices from a few floors below them catch The Resistance members attention, and Ronin slams the door shut.

"We can't get out that way." Nya says, she yelps as the door to Garmadon's room is almost thrown open by bikers. Skylor looks down at the mask in her hands, and swiftly pushes it to her face.

"Skylor!" Lloyd yells in alarm. The redhead grunts, vivid orange light shooting from her eyes as the mask's power takes hold of her.

"I'm fine!" Skylor says, standing up. Two long, jagged grey horns shoot out from Skylor's head, and Lloyd stares at her, shrinking back a bit.

Skylor lifts her hands, and the bookshelf on the back wall of the room floats with the motion. The redhead slowly guides the shelf towards the door, and Ronin and Nya quickly scramble away as Skylor plops the shelf in front of the door.

"There." Skylor says, taking off the Oni mask of deception. "That should buy us some time to find a way out of here."

Lloyd looks ready to strangle Skylor, but he settles for barely restrained screaming. "Okay, okay, how do we get out of here? There's no other exit!" Nya says, looking around frantically.

Harumi walks over towards the large window, peering to see how high up they are. The others follow her gaze. "No, no no no no!" Skylor says shaking her head.

"Harumi, whatever you're thinking, stop thinking it!" Nya yells, pacing back and forth.

"There's no way out besides this window. Unless you wanna fight your way through a dozen or so bikers and just hope they don't call up Garmadon on speed dial!" Harumi argues, already slipping the mask of hatred on and ramming into the window.

"We have three Oni masks, a nindroid, and a water master! I think we can handle a few gangsters!" Ronin bites, standing as far from the cracking window as possible.

As if on cue, the bikers hurl themselves at the barricaded door, and the shelf begins to crack and splinter. The alarms blare in Lloyd's head, and the flashing red lights cloud his vision. "Lloyd, you're the leader, what do we do?" Skylor asks the blond boy, her eyes panicked.

Lloyd steels himself, turning away from the almost broken down door and towards the almost shattered window. "I say we jump." He says, and Ronin scoffs.

"You've been chucked through to many walls, kid." Ronin huffs, shaking his head.

"Hey, you asked me what to do, and I told you." Lloyd scowles, heading towards the window.

"It is the only way out." Pixal says, walking over towards Lloyd and Harumi by the window. A soft breeze rustling her synthetic silver hair. "By my calculations, the chances of us fighting our way through all the SoGs outside the door are a little over twenty percent. And if Garmadon was to show - which there is a eighty percent chance of - those odds drop to below ten percent."

Nya, Pixal, and Skylor place a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "We trust you, Lloyd." Nya says, and Ronin sighs dramatically before reluctantly walking over towards the window. The Resistance members peer over the ledge of the building, looking at each other in worry. The shelve won't hold much long, and they all take hands.

"On three." Lloyd says, gulping.

"One…" Skylor starts, shifting worriedly and making sure she still has the mask of deception.

"Two." Pixal continues, her bright green eyes scanning the drop that awaits them.

"Two and a half why are we doing this again?" Ronin says, shaking his head.

"Three!"

The Resistance jumps out the window, wind howling in their ears as they clutch onto each other's hands. The ground rushes up to meet them, and Nya's sherik rings in Lloyd's ear as he closes his eyes and concentrates.

"What the hell were we thinking?!" Skylor says, and Lloyd can't tell if she's laughing or not..

"We're gonna f*cking die!" Ronin yells over the wind.

Suddenly, a shaky, emerald dragon forms beneath them, catching the small group on it's back. Lloyd laughs, pumping his fist in the air in triumph. He silently thanks Liv for giving him a boost. The dragon's roar booms through the air, and The Resistance cheers.

The victory is short lived, though. Because after a moment the green dragon dissipates in a puff of sparkling mist, and the freefall ensues. _Crap crap crap, _Lloyd thinks as the ground comes towards them.

Nya rips her hand from Lloyd's, her palms facing the ground and twin jets of water shooting from her hands. The others wisely grab hold of Nya's legs, and she uses her water to slow their descent towards the unforgiving sidewalk. Skylor slips the mask of deception on, too, and Lloyd shoots her a glare. Skylor ignores him as she uses the mask's powers to help Nya slow their fall.

The Resistance members land roughly on the sidewalk, but considering that they _jumped _from _the top of Borg tower _and _aren't _street pizza, a few bruises are nothing. For a beat, the group sits silently on the sidewalk, heaving in long, precious gasps of air.

Nya laughs, softly at first, then Skylor joins, and soon they're all laughing to the point of hysteria in the middle of the sidewalk. Tears in their eyes and they cackle endlessly. "What were we thinking?" Nya laughs, wiping a tear from her eye.

"I have no idea." Lloyd breaths, sitting up. The others chuckle softly and begin to stand, rolling their shoulders and popping joints.

Soon they're sprinting back through the city again, back towards Skylor's noodle shop. Lloyd doesn't say anything about Skylor using the Oni mask, and in turn no one questions how, exactly, Lloyd knew Liv would help him create his elemental dragon.

Well, at least Lloyd doesn't say anything to Skylor until they're back at the noodle shop.

* * *

The Resistance all but throws open Skylors back door. Panting heavily and leaning on the back walls. Misako and Dareth come running down, frantically. "What happened? Did you get the masks?" Misako asks, going over to help Lloyd and the others upstairs.

"Oh, it went absolutely _swell_." Ronin huffs, sinking down into the chair in the kitchen.

"Yeah, turns out the masks weren't in the vault like we thought, but were actually in Garmadon's personal quarters." Skylor says, plopping down on her old couch.

"And then we got caught and had to jump out Garmadon's window to escape." Nya adds, dragging Lloyd away from Misako and over towards the couch.

"Oh my…" Misako says, a hand covering her mouth in shock.

"That sounds _awesome_!" Dareth excaleims, staring at the small group in awe.

"Yeah, sure, awsome." Harumi scoffs, laughing a bit and sitting down next to Ronin at the small table.

"You're the one who suggested we jump out a hundred story window." Skylor snaps, glaring at the white haired girl.

"And you're the one who insisted we try and fight off over a dozen gangsters, and potentially Garmadon." Harumi challenges, smirking. Skylor stands, and Harumi stands with her. Lloyd sighs, exasperated.

"And speaking of fighting off thugs..." Lloyd sighs, looking at Skylor. "What were you thinking? Using an Oni mask!"

Skylor flushes, but she doesn't back down. "I was helping! We would've died in the Tower or from jumping out the window!" She says, glaring at Lloyd.

"No, he's right." Harumi says, shocking everyone, including herself by defending Lloyd. "You have _no idea_ what those masks can do, you could've killed us all!"

"You would know, wouldn't you? Quiet One." Skylor says, her voice low and threatening.

Harumi blinks, caught off guard. But her anger bubbles up like a shakes soda bottle, and she practically growls at Skylor. "Hey, guys, come on-" Lloyd starts, sounding tired.

"No, Lloyd," Skylor says. "I need to say this." She continues, looking at Harumi and making herself seem taller. "We trusted you, and you stabbed us in the back! And except to just waltz in here, saying you want to try and be who we thought you were?!" The redhead yells, hotly.

"Well then you can't exactly blame me, can you?" Harumi snaps, pointing a finger at Skylor. "_You_ trusted me, it was _your _mistake."

The room goes dead silent, and Lloyd can easily pick out the Quiet One's voice in the cold tone of Harumi's. "Leave." Skylor says, her voice as cold as ice.

"Excuse me?" Harumi says, taken aback.

"Get out!" Skylor yells, pointing towards the door. "Just leave, jump out a window if you can."

"Skylor-" Lloyd starts, standing up from his seat.

"No, Lloyd. She's leaving. I do not trust her. I don't care if Liv trusts her, or Nya or Pixal or even if you trust her, she needs to go." Skylor says firmly.

"But we need her, she's knows more about the Oni masks, she can help-"

"Help us get _killed_!" Skylor says, cutting Lloyd off. "And I know you're worried about your sister but Liv brought this upon herself!" Stunned silence, and Lloyd finally here's what Pixal's processor sounds like. "She chose to help the SoG, she chose to bring back Garmadon, it was all. Her. Choice."

Even more silence, then - "Yeah, kid." Ronin says, propping his head in his hands. "Why you so eager for her to stay?" He jerks a thumb at Harumi. "Isn't she the reason your friends are-"

"Because _I _need her!" Lloyd shouts, and the lights in the shop flare brightly before exploding with a loud _pop!_ Lloyd's cheeks burn as he flees the sitting room. He walks hasilty down the hall, turning down the hall and pushing open the nearest door. He ends up on the roof that Skylor probably watched the bounty get crushed from.

"_Watch as you lose it all." _

"_Jump, Lloyd!"_

"_You can make it!"_

"_NO!"_

Lloyd shakes his head, pushing that night back into its box. It's funny to think that it's almost been a week. He's surprised he managed to hold out this long. "I could really use you guys right about now." Lloyd says aloud to himself. "I really miss you all."

"_Why are you so eager for her to stay?"_

"_I need her!"_

"I have no idea what i'm doing." Lloyd continues, fiddling with a torn piece of his blood stained gi. He used to have all this power. Golden power, Green energy, the power of his love for his family, and Harumi. And god does Lloyd wish he had the power to ignore her just like she ignored him. Because Lloyd's telling himself that he and Harumi are over, that there was never anything to even love in the first place, but in his heart - in his heart it was so real.

"_It is her path."_

"_I'm scared I'll wake up and you'll be gone." _

"_I'm scared, too."_

"I'm trying so hard to save her, but it seems like all the odds are against me." Lloyd sighs, sitting down in the middle of the roof. "I don't know why I need her so much, I've only known her for a month. Liv and Harumi."

"_See you later, Lloyd."_

"_There wasn't supposed to be something there for me."_

"I need help." Lloyd says, choking on a sob as he stares up into the clouds. "I can't _do this _without you guys. I _need _my brothers."

"Lloyd?"

Lloyd sits up, turning around to face Harumi. He wipes his eyes, pulling his knees to his chest. "Hmm." Lloyd humms.

Harumi hesitates before coming to sit across from Lloyd on the roof. The two sit awkwardly across from each other, not knowing what to say but wanting to talk. "I can't figure you out." Harumi finally says, sounding reluctant.

Lloyd laughs, laying back down and staring up at the clouds. The warm afternoon sun beating down on him. "Right back at you." He sighs.

"You love me, then you hate me, now…" Harumi huffs, leaning back on the palms of her hands.

"You lied to me." Lloyd says, softly. "You lied to me and killed my friends - my brothers. And now we're teamed up to stop Garmadon…" The blond laughs, looking at Harum. "I have no idea what I think of you anymore."

The two sit silently, enjoying the sunlight and maybe each other's company. "Then why do you need me?" Harumi finally says.

Lloyd gave a huffing sort of laugh. _Yeah, I'm trying to figure that out, too. _Lloyd thinks. "I don't know, Harumi. Why did I trust you? Why did you lie to me? Why are my brothers dead?"

"Like I told skylor, trusting me was _your _mistake." Harumi says, her tone unreadable.

"Oh yeah, because everything's _my _fault, huh?" Lloyd scoffs.

"Don't even start-"

"I didn't _start _anything!" Lloyd says, indignantly.

"So the serpentine's nothing?" Harumi retorts, her eyes clouding with anger. Lloyd might not trust Harumi, but he does trust in her anger, her bitterness, her hatred.

Lloyd stands up, walking towards the door to go back inside. "The Great Devourer was nothing?!" Harumi yells after him, her voice cracking with memory. Lloyd stops, his hands balling up into fists.

"You don't-!" Lloyd starts, suddenly the building shudders violently. Lloyd stumbles, falling to his knees. Harumi screams as the noodle shop trembles, the concrete cracking. Lloyd wobbles over to the edge of the roof, peering over the ledge and down the street.

A dozen or so bikers stand gathered around the shop, trying to bust down the locked steel door. Garmadon stands in the middle of the street, lobbing balls of dark energy at the crumbling building. Lloyd curses to himself, grabbing Harumi by the arm and pulling her inside.

Lloyd runs down the hall and back into the sitting room where the rest of The Resistance sits, panic in their eyes. Dust reigns down from the ceiling as the building sudders again. And Lloyd switches to leader mode, as Jay would call it.

"Alright, we gotta get out of here, the SoGs know we're here." Lloyd says, letting go of Harumi and grabbing his mother.

"Where do we go?" Dareth asks, holding onto the table for dear life.

"Who cares?!" Lloyd says, already heading for the door. "We just need to go!"

The Resistance members nod, running down stairs. The steel door flies open, and dozens of gangsters run into the noodle shop, led by Killow and Ultra Violet. "Damn." Ronin says, and no one even chastises him for his language.

"Go, go go go go go!" Lloyd says, grabbing on to as many of his friends as he can and dragging them back up the stairs.

"Which way now?" Nya says, clutching Lloyd's forearm.

"There's the roof?" Skylor says, half heartedly. "I mean, we already jumped out a hundred story window, the roof of the shop shouldn't be too bad."

There's little complaint, so they all run towards the roof, throwing open the door only to stop dead when they see who - or _what_, is waiting for them. The stone colossus towers over them, staring down at The Resistance with menacing, violet eyes.

Garmadon stands on the stone giant's shoulder, smirking at the group. "You know, if you want to successfully sneak into my home and steal my most prized possessions," He says, looking down on The Resistance. "Jumping out a window screaming wasn't the smartest choice when it comes to stealth."

No one responds to Garmadon, their silent words being carried by the winds and the heat of their glares. "Aw, so quiet today." Garmadon continues. "And here I was looking for some company for my daughter."

It takes all of Lloyds self-restraint not to say anything. Instead he balls his fists, shaking with rage. "Well, I can see none of you are in a chatty mood, so might as well get right to the fighting." Garmadon says, and as if on cue, the stone colossus brings it's stone fist down on the building.

The structure shudders and pieces of concrete go flying. Garmadon commands the stone giant to bring it's fists down once more, over and over until the building's on the brink of collapse. "Having fun, are we?!" Garmadon laughs, his eyes glinting with malice.

"Split up! He can't hit us all if we split up!" Skylor yells, and The Resistance scatters across the roof, stumbling as it shakes.

The door to the roof swings open, and Killow, Ultra Violet, and dozens of gangsters stand in the doorway of the crumbling roof. "You've got to be kidding me!" Ronin shouts, running as the colossus brings it's hand down again.

"I know these guys want me dead but this is ridiculous!" Lloyd says, turning his fall into a roll as he stumbles.

The thugs run at the group, and The Resistance dawns their weapons. Nya pulls out her spear, Lloyd his sword and Harumi her dagger. While Skylor holds a hand out to Nya, who takes it hastily, transferring her water powers to the redhead. Pixal pulls out two silver shurikens, slicing the bikers who get to close. Ronin looks around briefly before picking up a pipe that was exposed by the colossus and it's merciless stone fist. Misako and Dareth aren't that lucky, and get into fighting stances.

The bikers charge at The Resistance, and the smaller group yells in turn. Running at the gangsters. Water sprays all around the roof, soaking the thugs. Harumi slices viciously at the gangsters, her movements fluid and graceful. Lloyd and Nya work back to back, attacking in perfect sync.

Fighting the gangsters isn't as easy as it should've been. Especially sense The Resistance has the upper hand with the Oni masks. But seeing as they have to continually avoid being squished, and being beaten to a pulp by bikers, the odds aren't in their favour.

Liv watches the whole battle from her mind, biting her lip anxiously. "Come on, guys. Get out of there." She says to herself.

"We need to retreat," Lloyd grunts, slamming the hilt of his sword into a biker's chest.

"You don't need to tell me twice." Ronin answers from across the roof, bashing a thug with his steel pole.

The rest of The Resistance members nod, and they begin to back away from the thugs, rolling away from the colossus fists and running towards the edge of the building.

"Oh?" Garmadon says. "Leaving so soon, are you?" He says, hopping down from the collusess shoulder and landing solidly on his stolen feet.

"We need to get the hell out of here!" Skylor says, dodging the colossus fists, the bikers blows, and now, Garmadon's dark energy blasts.

"Calculating the fastest escape route now." Pixal says, dodging a piece of concrete that was hurled at her head as her eyes glaze over.

"Do not let the Green Ninja escape!" Garmadon yells, hurling as many orbs as possible at Lloyd. The colossus slams it's fists down, trying to crush Lloyd beneath it. The blond rolls away, tumbling to a stop. The bikers run at Lloyd, the boy swings desperately with his sword, but the thugs quickly overpower him.

"Lloyd!" Misako yells, kicking a gangster in the chest. Her yell attracts the attention of the rest of the group, and they quickly turn to see a ring of thugs gathered around Lloyd

Despite their earlier argument, Harumi's eyes flash with the same blinding panic she'd felt when Lloyd jumped off that building onto that skytram that fateful night. And without a second thought, she yells, running towards Lloyd with her dagger slice long gashing across any biker that dared come near her.

Nya and Skylor ran to aid Harumi and Lloyd, but the colossus slammed it's fist down in front of them. Nya's scream cuts through the battlefield as she falls. "Come on, Nya!" Skylor says, grabbing the raven haired girls wrist and pulling her up.

Pixal, Ronin, Dareth and Misako run up towards Skylor and Nya. "Are you all okay?" Pixal asks.

"Yeah - yeah, were good." Nya breaths, popping her shoulder.

"Yeah well, let's wrap this up." Dareth says, gesturing towards Garmadon, who was advancing on Harumi and Lloyd. The colossus brings it's fist down once more, and the building shudders. "The noodle shop can't take much more of this."

The group runs to help Harumi and Lloyd, who despite their argument and anger towards each other, were now fighting side by side, taking out bikers with shocking efficiency. The two blonds nod when the rest of The Restsiace come to their aid, and they all fight in a ring, defending themselves against the Sons of Garmadon.

Garmadon's cackling is hard to ignore, and his orbs of dark energy are getting harder and harder to avoid. The rumbling of Skylor's noodle house has become more fervent. The building won't hold much longer. And neither will The Resistance.

"We have to get out of here now!" Misako yells.

"That's what we're trying to do! Kinda hard when we're busy trying not to be crushed to death!" Harumi says in retort, slashing a thug with her dagger.

"All the possible escape routes are blocked!" Pixal says, throwing one of her shrunken at a biker. "We need another plan!"

"Did someone say they need a plan?"

The battlefield froze, slowly turning around to face the new people joining them. The elemental masters stood behind The Resistance members, grinning brightly. "Griffin Turner?" Nya says, smiling.

Griffin winks at her, and in the blink of an eye, he's right in front of her, taking out several gangsters. The colossus brings it's fists down on the new arrivals, but Karlof catches it. His metal body glinting in the late afternoon sun.

"No!" Garmadon bellows, hurling orbs of dark energy at the elemental masters. The orbs stop in mid air, Gravis's hand outstretched in front of the violet spheres. With a flick of his wrist, the orbs turn around and slam right into Garmadon, sending him carrening across the rooftop.

Shade pops up next to Skylor, smirking before disappearing and taking out the rest of the thugs. Tox sends out a puff of green gas, and if any gangsters were still up, they were surely down for the count now.

Karloff pops up next to Lloyd, gestring for the group to follow him. "No, no no!" Garmadon yells, trying to run after the fleeing Resistance. He stops dead in his tracks, unable to move. Neuro grins in accomplishment that quickly shifts to confusion as he enters Garmadons mind.

"Come on, Neuro!" Tox yells, gesturing wildly at the elemental master of the mind. Neuro stares at Garmadon a moment longer before running after the rest of The Resistance. However, Garmadon himself may not be able to chase after the ninja (Via Neuro and his mind tricks), the stone colossus still can.

The ground shakes as the stone collouses's heavy feet run down the streets of the city after the fleeting Resistance. The large group runs across Skylor's noodle shop, building up speed as they jump to the next roof. Gravis uses his powers over gravity to help Dareth.

"How did you know we were in need of assistance?" Pixal asks, leaping across to the next rooftop.

"Let's just say we had our ears to the ground." Griffin says, speeding down the fire escape and down an alleyway.

It's not really an answer. But it's good enough for now. The ground trembles as the colossus races after them, and Lloyd runs faster. At the end of the alleyway, a dump truck waits for them. The window rolls down, revealing Paleman Jr.

"Get in!" He yells, and the back of the truck opens up. The Resistance and elemental masters climb into the back of the truck, panting heavily from their mad dash to safety. Once everyone's inside, the truck door closes, and the engine roars as Paleman Jr. drives away from the colossus's clutches.

* * *

The dump truck pulls into an old garage depot, and the large group exits the truck, laughing breathlessly. "I can't believe we made it!" Skylor says, relief shining in her tired eyes.

"You guys have _terrible _timing!" Nya chuckles, stretching out her arms.

"I think you had perfect timing!" Dareth says, giddily running around the garage depot like a child on christmas morning.

The elemental master and The Resistance talk and laugh, having just escaped what would have surely been their demise, Skylor, Ronin, Dareth, Misako, Pixal, Nya, Lloyd and Harumi were in pretty good spirits.

"What's _she _doing here?" Tox asks, side eyeing Harumi.

Lloyd groans in exasperation, and he quickly turns away from _that _conversation. Having heard it too many times in the past few days. He spots Mystake out of the corner of his eye, and the blond walks over to the elderly woman.

"HI, Mystake." Lloyd says, bowing slightly in greeting.

"Hello, young Garmadon." Mystake says, smiling kindly. "It is good to see you again."

"It's good to see you, too." Lloyd says. Mystake takes his shoulder, leading him up the stairs to the upper level of the garbage depot and into an office overlooking the bottom floor.

"I am aware that you seek knowledge about your friends." Mystake says, pouring him a cup of tea. Lloyd's eyes widen, staring at the elder with curious eyes. He doesn't even ask how she knew that. "I am here to provide answers."

Lloyd nods slowly, eager to hear what the eler has to say. Mystake past him the tea cup, and Lloyd sips it hesitantly before the smell registered to him. _Mint. _The blond takes a bigger gulp of the mint tea, letting it warm his insides. He sighs in content, ready to listen to Mystake.

"I am aware that you and your friends are under the false assumption that your brothers have left this world?" Mystake says, her eyes glinting mischievously.

"What...do you mean?" Lloyd says, looking back down at the elemental masters and picking out Nya, laughing with Skylor and surprisingly, with Harumi.

"Left this world they have, but they are not gone." Mystake says, pouring herself a cup of tea and taking a long slurp. Lloyd's mind races, trying to make sense of what he's being told. "Your brothers may not be here, but they are not dead. They still walk across the 16-realms."

Lloyd's heart does a weird summersault sort of thing. "You mean to tell me…" He says, slowly. "That for almost a week, I thought my brothers were dead...but they're...not?"

Mystake nods, sipping at her tea. Lloyd blinks, his brain coming to a complete stop as he processes Mystake's words. He has no idea if he should break down in tears of joy, or sprint downstairs and tell Nya and the others.

Probably both.

* * *

**I had way, way too much fun with this chapter. Like way too much fun. I just couldn't keep the elemental masters away for much longer and couldn't keep these kids in misery. And I had to find **_**something **_**to do with these Oni masks, so now The Resistance has an actual plan to save Liv **_**and **_**stop Garmadon.**

**Next time: Harumi finally finds her place in The Resistance against Garmadon, the truth about the Ninja is revealed, and the plan to save is finally, finally put into action.**

_**GreenGirl~**_


	25. Found my place

**It takes two**

**Chapter 25**

**Found my place**

**PrincePacman47: Well, it was assumed that Harumi ratted the resistance out, but it was proved that Garmadon just changed the location of the Oni masks. The broken pieces are mending, but it will take time for Harumi and Lloyd to truly figure out how they feel about one another. While Lloyd is responsible for the release of the serpentine, he is not really responsible for the great devourer. Remember he was just a kid who wanted his father's love. And Liv being in the situation she's in now is more of her fault than Harumi's. Sure Harumi had a lot of influence on the decision, but Liv brought back Garmadon so she could tell him that she was sorry for what happened in the past. In the end it was Liv's choice, and ,maybe she chose the wrong one, maybe she didn't. Everything happens for a reason.**

* * *

Honestly, Nya's just trying to get through the week. She's been doing pretty good, too. She managed to get more than two hours of sleep, Harumi finally came to her senses and joined the right side, they finally have a solid plan to save Liv and stop Garmadon, the elemental masters decided to join the fight, and most importantly, Nya's on the road to somewhat coping with the death of her entire family.

So when Lloyd drops the bomb that her brothers aren't actually dead, Nya almost (Almost) passes out.

She stares blankly at Lloyd for a good moment, trying to see if this is some sick prank. _Nah, _Nya thinks. _Lloyd wouldn't go that far._ "Are you sure?" Skylor asks, her voice soft. Like she doesn't want to hope.

Lloyd nods, shakily. "I'm sure." He says. "The guys aren't dead."

The garbage depot is silent, then Skylor cheers, and soon the others join in. Misako covers her mouth in shock, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Nya pulls Skylor, Lloyd, and Pixal into a hug, holding them all tightly. The elemental masters clap and cheer, happy that the ninja aren't gone for good.

Nya would be cheering too if she wasn't about to break down in sobs. For a week she thought her family was dead, and now they're not? And while she's glad that they're not dead, it's a bit annoying. No one can die properly nowadays.

Again, Nya is ecstatic that her brothers are still alive, wherever they are, but sheesh. No one likes to die the old fashioned way, apparently Because causing loved ones pain and heartbreak is so much better.

"How do we get them back?" Skylor asks, pulling away from the group hug to wipe her eyes.

"Mystake said that they have to find a way on their own. So I guess we just have to hope the guys can figure it out." Lloyd says, eyeing the old tea shop owner.

"Let us hope they do." Pixal adds, her bright green eyes flashing. "We cannot afford to take on another disruption of our own plans."

"Pixal's right." Misako says, standing next to Lloyd. "We just have to hope that the boys can find their own way, so we can deal with Garmadon."

Various nods and whispers echo in the depot, the elemental masters look around at one another. "How does Green Ninja plan on stopping Lord Garmadon?" Karlof asks, gaining a few nods in agreement.

"Well, our plan is to use the Oni masks to pull him from my sisters mind, and send him back to the departed realm." Lloyd says, gesturing to the mask of deception, vengeance, and hatred. "But we would have to be at the temple of resurrection for it to work."

Ronin scoffs, pushing himself off the back wall of the depot. "We barely made it out of Borg Tower, now you want to sneak into the temple and perform some ritual?" He huffs, smirking. "You kids must really like finding new ways to get yourselves killed."

"I'd rather die than my sister." Lloyd says, his gaze firm.

"O-okay! Listen, no one is dying." Nya says, glaring at Ronin. "We have the masks and an army of elementals, we've got this."

"We just need to plan everything out, and then we'll be good to go." Harumi says, immediately getting looks from the other elementals. The white haired girl shrinks under their gaze, and Nya can't help but feel a little sorry for her. Although, seeing Harumi fidget and avert her gaze is wonderful, with everything she put them through and all, but she's trying to help them now. And that counts for something.

"Seriously, what the hell is she doing here? She's our enemy." Tox says, scowling at Harumi. Some of the elemental masters nod, sparing Harumi with glares. Lloyd sighs, standing in front of Harumi.

"We already went over this, you're not allowed to ask that question. We've been over it too many times." Lloyd sighs, sounding tired. Harumi shoulders her way past Lloyd. Standing off to the side near Ronin. The thief and the former Quiet One seem to get along nicely, must be a reformed bad guy thing.

"Whatever." Tox says, rolling her eyes. "So, what's this plan of yours?"

Nya, Skylor, Pixal and Lloyd all look at each other, smirking. "I'm glad you asked."

* * *

Fitting in is hard. That's all Harumi has to say.

Ronin seems to understand, though. Having been a fellow enemy of the ninja, now he's their alley_. Takes one to know one_, he told her. Harumi remembers the conversation she had with Lloyd before the colossus found them. She was so mad at him, so mad at what he did to her parents. But then she remembered that she did the same thing to his friends. And sure the ninja might still be alive or whatever (Which Harumi totally doesn't understand, like how did they even escape?)

Anyways, what she's trying to say is, Harumi just wants to bury the past. She wants to forget all about the sons of garmadon, forget all about what could've been between her and Lloyd. Because when she thinks about it, she gets so angry and bitter and full of hatred. It infuriates her.

"_I need her!"_

Why does Lloyd need her? Why does she feel the same? They fought so perfectly together when Garmadon found their hideout. Harumi remembers that terror she felt when Lloyd jumped off that roof, and when the sons of garmadon tried to capture him a day ago. Why does she feel this way? She shouldn't. She doesn't want to. How many times can she lie to herself? How many masks can she wear until she loses herself?

Everything would be so much easier if she knew how Lloyd felt about her. Because his confusion is confusing her! All she's trying to do is find her place in the world, and she can't do that until she finds her place here.

* * *

Garmadon is silent. Staring out over the city, he's well aware that the Green Ninja and the resistance are somewhere out there, but he'll find them. Or, they'll find him. Either way works in his opinion.

He can feel his daughters burning determination, her strength. She wants control over something that Garmadon is using. And he will not let her have it. It's a shame she'll never unlock her true potential, really. They could have ruled all of Ninjago. But, alas, Garmadon isn't concerned with his daughters futile attempts at control, he's more interested in why the resistance thought it was a good idea to steal the oni masks from him.

But, for their sake, Garmadon will let them play around a bit longer. He's curious to see what they come up with.

* * *

Lloyd sighs, spreading out the map of the resurrection temple. "So, if we enter through here, then we should be able to perform the ritual." Nya says, pointing at a spot on the map of the temple of resurrection.

"But Garmadon has to be near the temple for it to work." Lloyd adds, and the other elemental masters nod. "We could build a vengestone cage to contain him."

"Sounds like a plan." Skylor says, rolling up the map and clapping her hands together. "Harumi, what do you think?"

Harumi starts, staring at Skylor quizzically. "What?" She asks.

"What do you think? You used to be on their side, so what do you think?" Skylor says again, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, um…" Harumi says, pulling out the temple's map again. "It's great and all, but the hardest part would be getting Garmadon into the vengestone cage. Everything else from there on out should be relatively easy." She says, pointing out different places they could enter the temple unseen and ways to trap Garmadon, and in the worst case scenario that they have to make a run for it, the fastest way to escape. But it won't come to that. They're going to end this, once and for all.

Lloyd nods, turning to face the rest of the resistance. "Okay, everyone, this is it." He declares, forcing as much confidence into his voice as possible. "Nya, Pixal, and Karloff, you three work on making the vengstone cage, Ronin and Skylor, you guys work on getting the vengstone. Everyone else, get ready for the fight of your lives."

The Resistance members cheer, setting off to complete their tasks. Lloyd nods as Ronin and Skylor promises to have the vengestone by the end of the day, and he follows Mistake back into the upstairs office, and Harumi's eyes linger on him as he goes. A tap on her shoulder has her on alert, and the wite haired girl turns to see Neuro.

"Oh, it's just you." Harumi says, leaning back on the wall. "Wait, you're the master of the mind, right?" She asks, a plan forming in her head.

"Yes, I am." Neuro says, calmly.

"Good, I need a favor." Harumi continues, she can already tell Neuro is reading her mind, so she forces the details of her favor into her head. Neuro nods once he has the plan, and begins walking towards the upstairs office.

The master of the mind comes back a few minutes later, standing next to Harumi. "So? What did you see?" She asks, eagerly.

"His feelings are mixed, confused. He does not know what to think of you, but does not want to lose you." Neuro says, Harumi thanks him, and the elemental walks away. "You owe me." Neuro calls as he walks, and Harumi shoots him a thumbs up.

Now listen, Neruo can read minds, and Harumi needs to know what Lloyd thinks of her so she can know what to think of him. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. And now that she knows, she can sort her own feelings out, find her own place.

Lloyd doesn't want to lose her, and maybe Harumi doesn't want to lose him, either. She joined The Resistance with the hopes of saving her friend, she didn't join to patch things up with Lloyd, she doesn't even think it's possible.

But now that she's here, and that it's a possibility, does Harumi want to take that chance? Does she want to try and bridge the gap between them? Lloyd comes down from the office, waving to Mystake and coming back down stares. He smiles softly at Harumi before heading over to help Nya design a cage for Garmadon.

Harumi takes a deep breath, walking up the stairs towards Mystake, who was sitting in the office pouring a cup of tea. "Uh, Mystake?" Harumi asks, pushing open the door.

The elderly woman looks up from her tea,smiling warmly at Harumi. "Hello, child." She says, patting the spot next to her. "Come, sit."

Harumi takes a seat, and Mystaké pours her a cup of tea, and the white haired girl takes it gratefully. "I have a question." She says, hesitantly. "It's about Lloyd,"

"Funny you should say that." Mystaké says, sipping her tea. "Young Garmadon was just talking about you."

"He was?" Harumi says, putting down her tea. "What..did he say?"

Mystaké laughs, placing a hand on Harumi's shoulder. "He is confused, much like yourself." She says. "But surely you have different feelings."

Harumi sighs, she _wishes_ she felt differently. "It's just...he confuses me. He's supposed to hate me, but he doesn't. And I'm supposed to hate him, but I don't." She says, watching the tea swirl around in her cup. "I only joined The Resistance to save Liv, not repair my relationship with Lloyd."

"Ah, but you want to, don't you?" Mystaké grins.

Harumi glares into her teacup, refusing to answer. But her silence says it all, apparently. "I don't know!" She shouts, exasperated. "He's responsible for my parents death, I can't exactly sweep that under the rug and move on with my life."

"He was a child, same as you." Mystaké interjects, shaking her head. "He was a little boy who was abandoned by his parents, and taken away from his sister. All he wanted was the love of his absent father, and releasing the serpentine is how he assumed he would get it."

"But my parents are still dead, and it was his fault." Harumi argues, turning to scowl at the blond down in the depot.

"Is it really Lloyds fault? Or do you just need someone to blame for the death of your family?"

Harumi looks away, downing the rest of her tea and standing up. "Thank you for the tea." She says before leaving the office, heading back down into the garage depot.

* * *

Lloyd swings his sword in swift, clean arcs over his head, the blade slices the air above him. He smiles to himself, just a few more days, and Liv will be okay. Take that, stupid destiny. Lloyds about to save his sister.

The plan is full proof. Really, it is. They're going in two groups, one to take out the guards and secure the perimeter, and another group will be performing the ritual. They're going to go in the same way they got into the temple the first time. Pixal and Nya are going to lead the first group through the river surrounding the temple and sneak through the underwater entrance, while the second group, lead by Lloyd and Harumi are going to go through the back. And while Lloyd doesn't know how well he's going to work with Harumi, he has to try, for his sisters sake. He can't let anything get in his way now. He has to be completely focused...

The hardest part by far will be getting his father into the vengestone cage. He's not going to go quietly, and they have to be ready. He's not going to lose his sister because they weren't prepared.

Lloyd turns around swiftly, the tip of his sword aimed at Harumi's chest. He sighs, lowering the blade. "Wanna spar?" She asks, drawing a dagger.

"I - sure." Lloyd huffs, the two circle each other, their weapons drawn.

Harumi makes the first move, running at Lloyd with her dagger at Lloyd's side, the blond slides out of the way, slamming the hilt of his sword into Harumi's stomach. The girl, coughs, blowing a strand of hair from her face and charging.

Even though her dagger is smaller, Harumi still puts up a good fight. Forcing Lloyd into defense while she takes the offense. "You're pretty good." Lloyd says through gritted teeth, the clash of their blades drawing the others attention. "But i'm better." The blond twists his sword, sending Harumi's dagger flying across the depot. He holds the tip of his katana to her chest, smirking with pride.

Harumi grins, ducking under Lloyd's blade and sweeps his feet out from under him. The blond falls hard, and Harumi jumps to her feet, scooping up Lloyd's katana and holding it to his chest. Lloyd blinks, surprised.

"You thought." Harumi says, grinning as she puts down the katana, reaching a hand out to Lloyd. The blond hesitates before taking Harumi's outstretched hand.

"I let you win, that move was really predictable." Lloyd says, hastily.

"Whatever you say, Green Ninja." Harumi laughs, handing Lloyd his katana and picking up her dagger. Lloyd's cheeks heat, and the blond sighs, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Fine, you win this round." He relents, rolling his eyes as Harumi grins with pride.

* * *

Skylor and Ronin come back a couple hours later, with a sack of vengestone. Apparently they had to go to Stixxs, and grab some from Ronins old pawn shop. Why the thief had vengestone in the first place is beyond them.

"Okay, now that we have the vengestone, we can start constructing the cage." Nya says, taking the sack from Skylor.

"Handcuffs would work better, we can't exactly sneak a vengestone cage discreetly into the temple." Ronin suggests, and the others nod.

"Alright, handcuffs, then." Lloyd says. "How long will that take?"

"A few hours at most, we should be ready to perform the ritual in two days tops." Skylor sighs, stretching out her arms and walking over towards Pixal and Karloff.

Lloyd claps his hands together, drawing everyone's attention. "Alright, we're going to invade the temple in two days. Everything needs to be ready, we've only got one shot at this." He says, confidently. "Here's the game plan, we're splitting into two groups. One to secure the perimeter and one that will be in the temple. Nya and Pixal, you guys are going to lead one group through the river and secure the perimeter. Me and Harumi are going to lead the second group through the back. You guys can pick your teams."

Nya and Pixal pick their team of Tox, Paleman, and Shade. And Lloyd's team is comprised of Karloff, Skylor, Griffin and Neuro. Their jobs are as simple as they can be, Nya and Pixals team will secure the perimeter and take out any SoG. And Lloyd and Harumi's team will have the hardest task of containing Garmadon and completing the ritual.

"Okay, we all have our missions and groups. Karloff, Pixal, and Nya, you guys get started on those venestone cuffs. And the rest of us need to train. I'm not sending anyone in if you're not ready." Lloyd says, putting his hand in the middle of the group. The others stack their hands on top of his, grinning all around.

"The Resistance never quits!" The Resistance shouts, throwing hands in the air. The group splits up, Karloff, Nya, and Pixal rushing off to make the vengstone handcuffs and the others running off to train for the coming battle.

Harumi turns to sharpen her dagger, when Lloyd comes up behind her. "Wanna spar?" He asks, hopefully. The white haired girl smiles.

"Sure." Harumi says, twirling her dagger in her hand. Lloyd smiles, a small, almost hesitant smile, but it's good enough for her.

In just a few more days, Garmadon will be defeated and Liv will be freed. This entire mess will be behind them, and maybe things will go back to normal. Harumi and Lloyd's blades clash like the crack of thunder, trapping the two in a deadly, yet graceful dance. Their smiles shine brighter than the dying sun, and Lloyd's laugh lights a flame in Harumi's heart. Everything's coming together, things are starting to fall into place. And Harumi knows her place in The Resistance.

It's by Lloyd's side.

* * *

**Things are starting to come to a close! We've only got a few more chapters to go! Lloyd and Harumi are coming around, and things are about to go down. **

**Next time: The battle begins as The Resistance breach the temple of resurrection. And it's time to see if destiny can really be avoided, and changed. **

_**GreenGirl~**_


	26. Endgame

**It takes two**

**Chapter 26**

**Endgame**

**No, we will not address the title of this chapter. **

**PrincePacman47: Harumi is making progress towards letting go of her anger, now all we need is the confession. Actually, if all goes well, and the ninja defeat Garmadon, then there would be no March of the Oni because Garmadon, who would be in the cursed realm, is gone. And I am not bringing him back, plus he played a big role in that season so it wouldn't make sense to write it without him. What I would do instead, is I would move into season 12 with the Prime Empire. Since that season is focused on Jay, and because I want to write something for Jay and Liv. Or, I would write a few chapters of aftermath and that would be the end of this story. But we'll go into that more later. Look no further if a ridiculously long chapter is what you seek.**

**Champion of justice: I hope they work out, too! And the next chapter is here :)**

* * *

It's cloudy.

It's cloudy, and Lloyd doesn't like it. The blond wrings his hands, pacing around the garbage depot. Nya, Karloff, and Pixal finished the vengstone handcuffs an hour ago, everyone's trained and ready, the plan is memorized. The two days Lloyd had before it was time to take back his city, and save his sister, are up.

And he feels like a ball of nerves.

It makes sense, really. His sister's _life _depends on their plan, and if she dies because the smallest thing goes wrong, Lloyd would never forgive himself. He considers going to Mystaké to see if she has any calming tea or something, but his grandfather showed Lloyd the future for a reason, and that reason was so he could prevent Liv's death. He can not afford to waste time drinking tea, he will not fail his sister. He can't fail Liv.

Harumi pops up at his side, placing a hand on his shoulder. She bites her lip, shifting slightly. Like she wants to tell him something. Lloyd really doesn't know how to feel about her, but he knows that sparring helped him make up his mind, if only a bit. He doesn't mind Harumi's presence as much as he did when she first joined the Resistance, and what she said to him on the roof, before the colossus found their hideout at Skylor's, gave him a lot to think about. But he can't afford to think about that right now, he can't afford any distractions. Not when he has so much on the line right now.

Lloyd takes a breath, calming himself. The blond closes his eyes, focusing hard on the green energy he can faintly feel in his chest. He attaches a message to the energy inside him, sending it out across the city with the hopes it will reach his target.

"Alright, guys!" Lloyd says once he's finished. All eyes turn to him, and the blonde takes a breath. "We're heading to the temple tonight, use the shadows to your advantage, and stay focused. Does everyone still remember their teams?"

A chorus of 'yes' answers him, and Lloyd nods. "Alright. Good luck guys."

* * *

Liv knows something big is about to happen. She doesn't know what, or when, or even if she's just imagining it or something. But she can feel it. Something is about to happen.

'_Liv, meet at the temple of resurrection at midnight. Bring Garmadon.'_

Well, now she's positive that something is about to happen. But at least she's already at the temple, Garmadon had been furious after Lloyd and the Resistance got away with the masks, and Liv had to take control and force him to leave Borg Tower before he threw all the poor bikers off the roof. Although, Liv still never found out why they stole the masks. No one tells her shit.

Well, at least Livs already at the temple Lloyd wants her to meet at.. And she has no doubt that this is about her supposed death...

Liv still stands by her earlier decision. She won't be the reason the entire city suffers, she's already done that once by resurrecting her father. Liv is ready to make the choice when the time comes. But, alas, Lloyd is Lloyd. And she knows he won't give up on her. He won't stop trying to save her…

But what if she wasn't supposed to be saved? What if she doesn't _want _to be saved?

Liv's put the city through so much pain, she's put her brother through so much pain. Her friends, her family, the ninja… They're all suffering because of her, and Liv needs to make it right. She has to. No one should pay for her mistakes except for Liv herself.

Although, staying alive and seeing her brother, knowing that she's in full control of her body, wouldn't be all that bad, either. She wants him to work things out with Harumi. Liv's not dumb, she knows that he liked her, and that she liked him. No matter what lies Harumi told herself, Liv knew she had a soft spot for the Green Ninja she forced herself to hate. They both deserve happiness, a life full of joy and love. Lloyd especially. Liv wants that for them. And she knows that they want that for her, too. But Liv doesn't deserve that kind of life…

"Ah, daughter." Garmadon's voice suddenly rings in her mind cage. "Enjoying yourself?"

'_Absolutely.' _Liv deadpans, rolling her eyes.

"Then you wouldn't mind telling me more about your sorry excuse for a brother's request, now would you?" He says, and Liv bangs her head on the barrier. Of course. Of course he heard Lloyds request. He's in her mind after all, he controls her body and powers. Of freaking course he heard Lloyd.

Liv doesn't answer her father, turning away. "Well, why don't we put a wedge in his plan, daughter?" Garmadon continues, and Liv scrambles to look through her stolen eyes. Watching as Garmadon leaves the temple of resurrection.

"Send Kilo, Mr. E, and Violet to the Temple. They have some visitors to attend to." Garmadon orders one of the SoGs guarding the temple. The biker nods, pulling out a walkie talkie and sharing her father's order.

Liv watches as Garmadon heads back towards Borg Tower, and Liv curses, trying to send a message to Lloyd.

"Ah, Ah, Ah." Garmadon tsks. "Can't have you ruining the surprise." He says, blocking off the connection between Liv and Lloyd. Despite this, Liv still screams for Lloyd. Desperately trying to get her message across to him.

Her father laughs, but there's no humor in it. One memory flashes in Liv's mind, but she doesn't remember it. She's at the top of Borg tower, she's with Lloyd, it's cloudy, it's dark, a dragon - a dragon? Okay, a dragon roar splits the air…

"Recognize that moment?" Garmadon humms, his voice full of malice. Liv doesn't answer him, scowling. "Oh well, you will soon."

* * *

Nightfall came faster than Lloyd would've liked, but that doesn't matter. The moon is high in the sky, shielded by grey clouds, and that means it's time. Liv should've gotten his message to bring their father to the temple, so now it's just up to him and his team. Misako, Dareth, and Mystaké stay at the depot where it's safe. Lloyd can't afford to worry about them.

The Resistance ran through the streets, sticking to the shadows and alleys. The streets were quiet, deserted. Like a ghost town, silent and eerie. The air filled with dread, masking the calm before the storm.

The water of the canal was dark and cold, but it was the only way to get into the temple walls unseens, so they'll just have to suck it up.

Skylor extends a hand towards Nya, and the raven haired girl takes it, transferring her water powers to Skylor.

"Alright, everyone gather round." Nya says, and the large group huddled together. She uses her powers to create a walkway at the bottom of the canal, and one by one the elemental masters slip into the canal's base. The water towers over them, but they stay dry.

Nya brings the water down, and Skylor helps her create a water-free dome around the group as they walk down the canal. The inky water surrounds them, but Nya and Skylor keep the water from breaching the dome.

Once they get to the temple's underwater entrance, they can see where Kai and the others entered the first time. The torn fishing net that was once blocking the path is gone, and the group all but run through it.

When they're through the hidden entrance, Nya and Skylor use the water to surround them in an odd ball, slowly lifting them towards the surface. Not a drop of water on them as they emerge just beyond the eyesight of any guards.

"Okay, this is it guys." Lloyd begins, looking around. "Everyone has their assignment. Listen to team leaders, and pay attention to the comms." The elementals nod, turning on their commlinks. "Good luck, guys. Hopefully this will all be over by sunrise."

"Same." Nya whispers, pulling the others into a group hug. She lets go, handing Lloyd the Oni masks before leading her and Pixals team away to secure the perimeter.

Lloyd watches them go before turning to face Harumi and his team of Karloff, Neuro, Skylor, and Griffin. He motions for them to wait for the signal from Nya and Pixals group that the coast is clear. The soft clash of blades and the thud of bodies tells them that Nya and Pixals team are almost done.

Lloyds hand reaches for the Oni masks stashed away in a small sack. "Use these carefully, and only as a last resort. We need them to perform the ritual, so don't lose them." He instructs, passing the Mask of deception to Skylor, vengeance to Neuro, and lastly, the mask of Hatred to Harumi.

"Don't worry, Lloyd. We won't let the masks out of our sight." Griffin reassures him, his bright red shades glinting in the moonlight that peaks through the cloudy sky.

"_Were clear, go now!" _Nya whisper-shouts into Lloyds hear moments later, and he and his group run towards the back of the temple.

Harumi takes the lead, running up the wooden stairs. Griffin sprints past her like a lightning bolt, and Lloyd rolls his eyes. _Stupid super speed-_

Harumi looks back at him as they run, their feet padding lightly on the wood (Well, except for Karloff, but they haven't run into anyone yet).

"Sorry for, y'know…" Harumi says, and Lloyd waves her off. He'd prefer not to get caught up in the past right now.

"It's fine, I forgive you, now keep moving." Lloyd says, and Harumi seems to stop for a beat before continuing to jog up the stairs.

"Almost there…" Harumi says, and they stop at the top of the stairwell, Griffin leaning on the wall waiting.

"What took you so-"

"Griffin, shut up." Skylor says, her hands on her knees as she checks her breath. Griffin just smirks, but doesn't say anything else.

Lloyd and Harumi push themselves against the large door in front of them that leads to the temple's courtyard, listening. "Someone's in there alright." Lloyd says, backing away from the door. "Karlof, can you get this door open?"

"Karloff get door open no problem!" The master of metal says, and the others shush him. Karloff pounds his fists together, and sleek, shiny metal encases him. He slams his fists into the door, sending it flying across the temples courtyard.

Lloyd and Harumi's group burst through the doorway, weapons drawn and ready. "Hands up, Garmadon!" Skylor yells, water swirling around her hands.

The shadows around the temple twist, and Lloyd's hand strays towards the vengestone handcuffs in his pocket. The shadows shift again, and Lloyd readies himself. A silhouette breaks from the shadows, and suddenly splits into three. Ultra Violet, Mr. E, and Kilo step out instead of Garmadon.

"Where's Garmadon?!" Griffin says, looking around the temple. "I thought you said he'd be here!"

"He's supposed to be!" Lloyd snaps, angling his sword at Kilo. "Where is he?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Ultra Violet says, twirling her sai between her fingers. Eyes locking on Harumi.

"Tell us where he is, now!" Skylor demands, shooting a jet of water at the three SoGs.

"No, I don't think we will." Violet smirks, then with a yell, she charges at the Resistance. Kilo and Mr. E right behind her.

The two sides run at each other, the clashing of blades echoing in the temple. Lloyd and Harumi run at Ultra Violet, While Skylor and Griffin battle Mr. E and Karloff fight with Kilow. Neuro hangs back, not equipped to fight.

Despite being outnumbered, the three SoGs fight fiercely. They're stalling them, Lloyd knows that much. If they really wanted to stop them, then they would've sent more gangsters. They're keeping him from achieving his goal, which is to save his sister and defeat his father. Lloyd bends down, and Harumi flips over him, kicking Violet to the ground.

Across the temple, Karloff lands a solid punch to Kilow's jaw, and the grey giant crumples to the ground. Skylor and Griffin take down Mr. E, and pin him down. Neuro passes them the rope that they would've used along with the handcuffs to take down Garmadon, but the ropes will work better with the three SoGs than Lloyd's father.

Lloyd wraps the rope around the three before backing away, his sword still leveled at their throats. "You're going to tell us where Garmadon is." He says, firmly. "And you're going to do it now."

The captured Sons of Garmadon don't answer him, their eyes downcast. _Stalling. _"Hey!" Harumi says, pointing her dagger at Ultra Violet's neck. "He asked you a question, if I were you i'd answer it."

"We don't take orders from you, traitor!" Kilow snaps, pulling against the ropes. Harumi glares at him, her dagger glinting towards his throat. Begging for a taste of blood on it's silver blade.

Neuro pushes past the group, forcing his way in front of the three gangsters. "Let me handle this." He says, a hand on his temples as he forces his way into the SoGs minds. The thugs grunt and struggle against the ropes, trying to keep Neuro from prying secrets from their heads. Mr E eyes his companions with distaste, being the only one Neuro can't crack with his abilities due to him being a nindroid.

The master of the mind stands back, and based off the scowls on Violet and Kilows faces, he got what he came for. "Borg Tower." Neuro says. "Garmadon is at Borg tower."

Lloyd cursed, turning on his heel. _Of all the places he could've gone! _"Lloyd?" Skylor says, slowly. "What's wrong with Borg tower?"

"That's where I saw Liv die...he's trying to make it happen. He's trying to kill my sister." Lloyd sighs, sheathing his sword. It's all coming together, every piece that was never supposed to fall into place. The cloudy sky, Borg tower...all that's left is the Dregon roar.

The temple is quiet for a beat, trying to process the new information. This is going to derail their plans, but they've worked too hard for it to fall apart now… "Okay, new plan." Lloyd says, taping his comm and waiting for it to turn on. "You guys start the ceremony, I'm going to Borg tower."

"I'm coming with you." Harumi says, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"No." Lloyd says, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I need you here, you're the only one who can perform the ceremony." Harumi sighs, looking away.

"Fine." She sighs.

Lloyd's comm lets out a loud whine, and he tapps it eagerly. "Nya? Nya!" He says, waiting for a response.

"_Lloyd? What's up?" _Nya's voice echo's softly in the comms.

"We ran into a problem, how's everything on your end?"

"_Fine, do you guys need help?"_

Lloyd pauses, turning to face his team. Kilow, Violet, and Mr. E are still tied up, scowling at the group. "No, we're good." He sighs. Silence envelopes both ends, until Nya tells him to be safe and turns off her comm.

"Don't worry, Lloyd." Skylor says, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We'll send Garmadon back to the hole he came from, promise."

"Thanks guys." The blond smiles. "I'll be back with Liv once this is all over."

Skylor gives his shoulder one last squeeze before letting go, smiling at Lloyd's receding form. Harumi stares after him, listening as the wooden stairs creak under his feet. She feels weird, watching him leave. This isn't how their plan was supposed to go...Garmadon was supposed to be here. He's supposed to be handcuffed to a pole while they send him back to the departed realm. Now he's at Borg tower where he supposedly kills Liv.

Harumi doesn't like the idea of Lloyd fighting Garmadon alone...not after what happened at Kryptarium. And that was just Garmadon warming up, she would know. And besides, Lloyd had his elemental powers, he doesn't have them now. Garmadon could kill him...Lloyd could die fighting him. Liv isn't going to let that happen, she would kill herself before Garmadon laid a hand on her brother.

Someone is going to die if Lloyd goes alone…

"Paper, who has some paper or something?" Harumi says, looking at the others frantically.

"Why do you need paper?" Skylor says, rolling her eyes and unclipping the Oni mask of deception from her belt. "Come on, we've gotta do this ceremony."

Harumi sighs, turning around to face the master of the mind. "Neuro!" She says, the elemental turns, his gaze quizzical. "I need one more favor."

* * *

Lloyd all but sprints from the temple, wishing he had Griffin's super speed as he ran. Everything turned around so quickly, he's struggling to keep up. The one thought that remains in his head is Liv. How he has to save her, defeat his father, wait for his friends to get the heck out of the first realm and help him!

The colossus stands stiffly in front of Borg Tower, Lloyd doesn't even bat an eye at the thing. If his father is defeated, the stone giant will fall. Why waste time trying to take it down with their bare hands when they can take it down from the source?

Lloyd takes a breath, staring at the doors of the tower. It's eerily deserted, but Lloyd can't bring himself to care as he throws open the glass doors, sprinting towards the nearest staircase. He takes the steps two at a time, his mind racing.

_So close. Just a bit longer, then his sister will be safe and this will all be behind them. _Lloyd stops for a beat, staring up at the seemingly endless amount of stairs. He hopes not everything will be behind him. He would like to patch things up with Harumi, be friends, maybe.

_Maybe more than friends. _

Lloyd pushes that thought to the back of his mind as he groans. He's wasting time with these stairs… The blond looks up at the railing attached to each set of stairs, taking a deep breath before jumping atop one of the rails. Lloyd continues to jump from rail to rail, his arms flare with protests, but it beats taking the stairs, so he keeps going.

When he finally gets to the top, all that awaits him is a door. All he has to do is open the door. _Just open that door, Lloyd_. The blond tells himself. _Liv is on the other side, open it! _

Lloyd throws open the door, pulling out his sword and holding it out in front of him. His blade slices through nothing but air, a eerie purple light pulses around the tower, and Lloyd sucks in a short breath, letting it out slowly before walking forwards.

"Back so soon?" Garmadon's voice echoes around the tower, coming from everywhere, and yet nowhere.

Lloyd doesn't answer.

"None of you ninja are any fun…" His father continues, and Lloyd whirls around, trying to find the source of his voice.

"It's not my job to entertain you." Lloyd bites, slowly walking around the tower.

"Ah, perhaps you're right," Garmadon sighs. "I guess your sister will suffice..."

Lloyd growls, "Show yourself!" He yells, there's a soft rustling from above him, and Lloyd looks up in time to see Liv jump down from a diamond shaped spire, landing in a ball of dark energy. Lloyd's eyes focus on Liv's blood red irises that seem to glow in the dark light of Borg Tower.

The blond points his sword at her, shaky with hesitance. Garmadon looks at the blade with amusement. He takes a step closer. "Go ahead." He says, smirking. "Do it, kill me. That's what you're here to do, right? To kill the monster?"

Lloyd's hands shake, but he doesn't lower his sword. "Liv is _not _a monster. You-"

" I'm the monster, yes I know." Garmadon laughs, a bitter, scarring sound that sounds nothing like his sister. "Where do you think your sister got it from? She is part Oni, after all...the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"Liv is _**nothing **_like you!" Lloyd screams, rage in his eyes. Garmadon takes another step closer, the tip of the blade pressing into Liv's chest.

Garmadon tilts his neck, the soft crack echoing in the silence of the tower. "Do it." He says, again.

Lloyd shakes with rage, he feels like a moth drawn to a flame. Lured by the fire lit by his father. "Come on, Green Ninja...kill me. Avenge your brothers that fell to save you." Tears stream down Lloyd's face as he scowls. _His brothers are not dead. They're alive. Mystake said that they're alive. They have to be. Where are they?!_

"You can't do it, can you?" Garmadon taunts, taking half a step closer, he doesn't even wince as the blade punctures Liv's black gi. "Because you're weak. You don't have the will to do what you must. The ninja would be ashamed to call you their leader, their brother."

Lloyd yells, tearing the blade away from Garmadon, slicing a thin line into Liv's gi. Garmadon smiles at the fire in Lloyd's eyes. "There we go." He says, lighting his fists with dark energy, forming them into two ridged blades. "Now, we fight."

Garmadon waste no time charging at the blond, and Lloyd rolls out of the way, blocking Garmadons fierce swings. Lloyd stands up, flipping over his father, bashing his head with the hilt of his blade. Garmadon stumbles, the dark energy blades wavering.

Lloyd charges again, a hand straying to the vengestone handcuffs. He swings his sword at his father, not aiming to harm him, only disarm. Garmadon has no other intentions besides killing him, a dark energy blade clipping his side. Lloyd grunts, staggering a bit as the sharp pain of the blade registers to him.

Something flickers in Garmadons eyes as he swings his blades at Lloyd. The blond can only hope that the ceremony has started. Lloyd ducks Garmadon's blades, bending down to sweep his legs out. His father hits the concrete hard, eyes rolling back. Lloyd takes the chance to get atop him.

Garmadon yells, writhing in Lloyd's grip as he swings his two blades. Lloyd pushes the sharp stabs of pain to the back of his mind, focusing on holding Liv down as he pulls the vengestone handcuffs from his pocket, Garmadon struggles again, but Lloyd holds firm as he attempts to handcuff his father.

The loud crackle of comm static gives them both pause. _"Lloyd! Lloyd, It's an ambush! We're pinned! Hurry up!"_ Nya's panicked voice echoes in his ear, his father wastes no time breaking from Lloyd's hold.

His eyes flashing vivid purple, Garmadon's blast of dark energy slams into Lloyd's chest. Sending him flying over the edge of Borg Tower, the vengestone handcuffs landing a few feet away. Garmadon scowls at them as he kicks them away from Lloyd.

The blond grunts, his gloved hands gripping the ledge of the tower. Garmadon smiles at the display, bending down to look Lloyd in the eyes. "You fought valiantly, I'll give you that." He says, patronizing. "Too bad your brothers aren't here to watch me finally be rid of you."

Lloyd looks down briefly, his eyes going wide as he realizes how high he is. The blond screams as Garmadon brings his foot down on his hand. Lloyd screws his eyes shut, refusing to let go of the building's edge. His plan is slowly falling apart, but this is their only shot. If they lose today, they won't get another chance, this is all they have and they have to make it work...

"Lets see how long you can endure!" Garmadon snarls, digging his heel into Lloyds hand.

"I thought it was the fight that fuels you…" Lloyd groans, tears pricking his eyes. "Is this how you fight?!"

Garmadon seems to consider this, letting his foot slide away from Lloyd's hand ever so slowly. "Well," He says, slowly. "It would be a shame to waste your blood on the filthy sidewalks." He grabs Lloyd by the collar of his gi, holding the teen to his face. "I would much rather see your blood on my blade."

Garmadon throws Lloyd across the tower, watching him roll. He can feel Liv yelling in his mind, but his hold on her is too strong, he will not let her break free. Not this time. Lloyd wisely takes up a defensive position while Garmadon attacks with deadly offensive. The bond rolls, scoping up the vengestone handcuffs.

Garmadon almost laughs, he won't be so easily defeated. Something in his mind shifts as Lloyd lands a solid kick to his chest. Garmadon's hold on Liv wavers for the briefest of seconds before he's charging Lloyd again. The effects of the ceremony finally making itself known. He needs to wrap up this fight before he loses full control. Lloyd smiles, he hopes the others can endure with him.

"This isn't what your father wanted Ninjago to be!" He says, dodging an orb of dark energy. "He left his world to make a better place!" One of the blasts hits home, sending the teen back a few feet. "He fought to restore the balance!"

"Ninjago isn't built on _balance!"_ Garmadon yells, disgusted with the word. "It's built on power!" He says, forming his dark energy blades and charging at Lloyd. "And controlled by he who possesses it!"

Lloyd stumbles to the ground, gasping. Garmadon raises his blades, and Lloyd sets his jaw. Spinning around and drawing a long gash on his cheek. His father stumbles away, and Lloyd backs up, his sword held defensively in front of him.

Garmadon presses a hand to his cheek, looking back at red blood that stains his stolen hands. He lets out a chuckle, wiping the blood on Liv's gi. "Now that's more like it."

"You're _sick!" _Lloyd yells, circling his father.

"And you're pathetic!" Garmadon retorts, swinging his blades at Lloyds throat. The blond ducks, blocking the blades with his own.

Lloyd ignores the comment, pushing down on Garmadons blades, looking him dead in the eye. "No matter what you've done, or what you've become," He says, determination in his eyes. "I still believe this isn't you! You can change!" Lloyd pants, almost desperately as he eyes his father.

"People don't change!" Garmadon shouts, twisting his swords from Lloyd's grasp and kicking the blond in the chest. "They only reveal who they really are!"

Lloyd stumbles away, leaning on his sword as he falls backwards. Garmadon puts his blades together before ripping them apart, sending out a pulse of dark energy. Lloyd trips, his feet meeting open air as the pulse pushes him back. Garmadon grabs his wrist, hurling him away from the building's edge and into an air conditioning unit. The blond yells as he collided with the hard metal, his eyes closing briefly.

Garmadon brings his blades down on Lloyd, and he barely has time to put up his own sword in defense. His father swings his dagger at Lloyd fiercely, and Lloyd closes his eyes. Holding his own sword over his head, his arms shaking as each hit rattles his bones.

Suddenly, a tear in the cloudy sky opened up.

Five large dregons shoot out from the portal, soaring through the inky sky.

A dregon roar splits the silent air of a stunned city.

Garmadons lips curl into a smirk while Lloyd dissolves into panic. His father wastes no time sending one last powerful strike at Lloyd's blade. The sword flies from his hands, careening over the side of Borg Tower.

"_Lloyd! The guys are back!" _Nya's voice rings in his commlink as Lloyd rolls away from Garmadon's blade. If only he could feel as happy as her. But his brother's return just sentenced his sister to death.

"_Nya?" _Tears slip from Lloyd's eyes as Kai's voice filters through the commlink. He never thought he'd hear him again. _"Where are you? Do you need help?" _

Lloyd ducks the orbs of dark energy aimed at his head as Nya tells Kai that they need backup at the temple of resurrection. Zane joins the conversation, telling Nya that he's on his way. The others break away to deal with the colossus, and Lloyd's heart sinks lower and lower with every roar of their dregons.

Garmadon manages to land a hit on Lloyd while the blond is distracted. He stands over Lloyd, his dark energy daggers pointed at the boy's throat. "Cloudy sky, top of Borg tower, dragon roar…" Garmadon ticks off the three details with a step closer to Lloyd. "Seem familiar?"

Lloyd refuses to answer, his head lowered to the ground. He ignores his brothers calling his name as tears stream down his face. "Look at me." Garmadon uses one of the daggers to tilt Lloyds head up. "I want to see the light leave your eyes as I kill you."

Lloyd's eyes cloud with tears, and he looks up to face his corrupted twin. "_I'm so __**sorry**_." He chokes out, grabbing one of Garmadon's blades and twisting it away from him.

Lloyd closes his eyes as he plunges the ridged blade into Liv's side.

Garmadon chokes, looking down at his own blade in his side. "W-well…" He gasps, hands straying to remove the dagger. "Well d-done…"

Lloyd rushes to catch his sister, holding her to his chest as her eyes flicker. Red to green, red to green. Purple sparks dance around her, and Lloyd screams. All his heartbreak and pain in his voice as he yells into the night.

Liv's hazy eyes look up at him, she gasps, moving to pull the blade out. Lloyd stops her, she'll stay alive longer if it stays in. "I'm so sorry." He sobs, clutching her hand.

"N-not your fault." Liv gasps, squeezing Lloyd's hand. "You-you did what I would've d-done...you did what you had to in order to save the c-city."

"The city isn't worth you." Lloyd cries, tears clouding his vision.

"One life isn't worth thousands, Lloyd." Liv says, looking him in the eye. "I did this to Ninjago, n-now I have to pay for my m-mistakes."

"It wasn't your fault-"

"Yes it was, L-Lloyd." Liv says, almost desperately. "It was all my choice, and now I'm paying for t-them."

Lloyd lets out a cry, and Liv sits up, groaning as she tries to hug him. "This was not your fault Lloyd." She cries into his shoulder. "God, do not blame yourself for this, you hear me?"

Lloyd nods, if only for her sake. Liv shudders, her hand straying for the blade again. Lloyd grabs her hands, holding them in his. "I don't want to say goodbye!" Lloyd sobs, squeezing his sister's hand tightly. She looks away from him, her eyes glassy. "Hey, no _no_, look at me." Lloyd gently nudged Liv, and she looks back to him, her eyes unfocused.

"I don't want to say goodbye either." Liv's voice cracks as she cries, tears running down her cheeks as she fights to stay alive. "But I'll always be with you, Lloyd. Don't ever forget that."

"I'll never forget... I promise." Lloyd whispers.

"Then I'll see you later, little brother.." Liv gasps, rain falls from the cloudy sky, slow at first, then pouring harder. Drenching the two.

"I - I'll see you soon, big sis." Lloyd says, brushing a strand of wet hair from Liv's eyes. She shudders again, blood dripping from her mouth.

"I-I love you, Lloyd."

Lloyd looks away briefly, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.

"I love you too, Liv."

Liv's eyes close, her breathing slowing down. Lloyd continues to hold her hand, the soft pulse in her hand keeping him together as he holds his dying sister. The ground shakes as the stone colossus crumbles to the ground, and Lloyd almost laughs as Liv chokes out a "Good riddance" before Nya's voice crackles in his ear. Lloyd reluctantly pulls a hand away from Liv to answer his commlink.

"_Lloyd! Where are you?! Are you okay!?" _She yells at him, and Lloyd can hear Liv chuckle wetly, her chest heaving as she hangs onto life.

"I'm at Borg tower, Nya I need you too-"

Lloyd doesn't get to finish that sentence as Harumi bursts through the door, looking out of breath from running up the endless stairwell to the roof of Borg tower. "Lloyd!" She shouts, running towards him into the rain.

"Harumi…" Lloyd breaths, still clutching Liv's hand. Harumi slides to her knees next to Liv, tears in her eyes as she stares at the blade in her side.

"Oh Liv…" Harumi whispers, taking one of her hands and giving it a squeeze. Liv tries to respond, but all that comes out is a heartbreaking gasp as she shudders again. Lloyd shushes her, letting go of Liv's hand to brush wet hair from her eyes. He refuses to let Liv die alone, but they should really try and get her out of this rain. Is it even safe to move her-?

Wait...rain…

Lloyd almost jumps for joy as a smile breaks across his face, he taps his comm, ordering anybody near Borg tower to come as soon as possible. Harumi looks up at him, quizzical, her hand still squeezing Liv's.

Lloyd ignores Harumi's questions as he shoots up, running towards the edge of the tower. "Over here!" He shouts before running back towards Liv. Harumi's questions once again fall on deaf ears as he picks up Liv, telling Harumi to grab her feet. Liv groans as the movement nodges the blade, and Lloyd breaths out an apology as the silhouette of a dregon approaches the tower.

"Lloyd what the heck is going on?!" Harumi shouts at him, and Lloyd looks at her, pointedly looking at the clouds as lightning flashes in the sky, followed by the crack of thunder and pouring rain.

The cloudy sky, the top of Borg tower, the dregon roar...all parts of his vision of the future.

He never saw any rain. And Harumi definitely wasn't there, either.

* * *

**Ah, I know. Y'all probably hate me for this, and I definitely had making you guys cry in mind while writing this. But at least I didn't kill Liv.**

**Next chapter will be the last, so thanks and plans for what will happen next will be in the A/N at the end of that chapter. **

**Next time: Garmadon is finally where he belongs, the ninja have returned, Liv is in the hospital and realizes what was holding her back, and this wild adventure finally comes to a close. **

_**GreenGirl~**_


	27. What a wild ride (lets never do it again

**It takes two**

**Chapter 27**

**What a wild ride (lets never do it again)**

**PrincePacman47: Aw! Thank you! I'm so glad you've enjoyed this story, it means a lot since this is my first fanfic. And I will be writing a second story taking place in season 12, but once again, that will be explained in the A/N at the end of this chapter. **

**Gosh guys, this is it. This is the last chapter of It takes two...thanks and plans for what will happen when this is over will be in the A/N at the end of this chapter, the A/N is...kinda long, but please read through it to know the plans for the future. But for now I just want to say thank you to everyone whose taken the time to read this, and I hope you all enjoy the final chapter of It takes two.**

* * *

The waiting room in the hospital is quiet (Save for the rain's soft pitter-patter), and cold. But that's fine, really. Quiet is just what Lloyd needs right now. Although he could do without the cold.

Lloyd sighs, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his head, it's been a crazy couple of hours. His brothers arrived at Borg Tower not long after they got his message, and resisting the urge to gawk at them because holy heck they're _alive!_ Lloyd told them to get Liv to a hospital, and that's what they did. And the minute they flew off on their admittedly cool dregons, he just knew she was going to be okay. Even if it took a while.

Lloyd smiles as Kai takes a seat next to him, a styrofoam cup in his hands. "Hey." He says, taking a sip of what Lloyd can only assume is the watery hospital coffee.

"Hey." Lloyd says, turning his head to look at Kai. "What a crazy couple of weeks, huh?"

"Pff, tell me about it." Kai laughs, shaking his head. "What happened with you guys?"

The blond sighs again, sitting up. "Oh nothing, had to hide all over the city to avoid the SoGs, teamed up with the other elemental masters, Harumi swapped sides, broke into Borg Tower, and then the temple of resurrection." He says, smiling at all the memories from the last few weeks. He shifts in his seat, his gaze lingering on Harumi where she's asleep in the chair next to him. He's surprised Kai hasn't said anything yet. "What about you guys? How was your vacation to the first realm?"

"It was not a vacation!" Kai scoffs. Lloyd shushes him, gesturing to the rest of their team scattered around the waiting room sleeping. "It was not a vacation…" Kai whispers. "We were running all over the first realm, got captured by these weird people who hunt dragons, used as bait to lure said dragons, and then ran around some more looking for some dragon armour for Wu."

"I dunno…" Lloyd humms, resting his head in his lap. "Sounds more relaxing than being stuck in a war torn city being hunted by crazy bikers and a psychopath dad who possessed your sister."

Kai gives an awkward huffing sort of laugh, taking another sip of coffee. "We'll have to exchange stories sometime." He says, eyeing Liv's hospital room.

Lloyd nods, enjoying the calm of the waiting room. "I really missed you guys…" He says, softly.

"We missed you, too." Kai sighs, wrapping an arm around Lloyd's shoulders. "We had no idea what happened to you and Nya after we got stuck in the first realm...I was really worried about you, green machine. You really scared us all for a moment.."

Lloyd looks away, chewing his lip. "I guess I never apologized for running off like that.." He sighs, his gaze drifting over to his sisters' hospital room, listening to the soft beep of the monitor. Sure running off to face her alone was...probably not the best idea, but if he was given a chance to redo that moment in his life, he wouldn't change a thing.

"It's fine, you did what you had to do." Kai shrugs, finishing off his watery coffee. "But if you ever almost get yourself killed again-"

Lloyd swats his shoulder, laughing. "Don't worry, Kai. I'll be sure to give you a heads-up next time I decide to run off on potentially life-threatening solo missions."

Kai stifles a laugh, ruffling Lloyds hair. "You better not, or I'll sic your sister on you."

"You wouldn't!" Lloyd gasps, worming his way out of Kai's grip, fixing his hair.

"I would, don't test me." Kai laughs, placing the styrofoam cup on the small table next to them.

The two fall into silence, Lloyd leans on Kai's shoulder and the brunette squeezes his shoulder. Lloyd sighs, looking around at his friends. Most of which he thought he'd never see again. The rest of his team is pretty much dead to the world, they'd all crashed not long after they were finished crying over each other. Even Zane and Pixal were out cold. His mom and Wu stayed with the rest of the Resistance, locking up the rest of the Sons of Garmadon.

It's surreal, seeing his brothers when he's convinced himself he'd never see them again, when he watched the colossus crush them… They might not be perfectly fine, the bags under their eyes have bags, and their gi's are torn and dirty, but they seem okay for the most part. Lloyd's just happy they're here. And not dead. Although he's never going to let them live this down, he can already imagine it.

"_Hey, Cole. You wouldn't mind if I skipped training today? Oh, no? That's okay...remember the time you guys disappear for almost a month? Leaving me and Nya to fend for ourselves against a giant stone monster and an evil biker gang out to kill us?"_

Of course he might consider letting them off the hook if they let him ride Firstborne...it's been awhile since he rode a real dragon. A loud snore pulls Lloyd from his thoughts, and he tilts his head to look at Kai. The blond smiles, watching Kai's chest rise and fall in one gentle motion. _Good, _he thinks. _He looks like he hasn't gotten a good night's rest in days. _He probably hasn't, none of them have.

Lloyd would go to sleep, too. But he's over his need for some quiet time, and the silence is eating at him. He can still feel the weight of the blade in his hands, the motion as he slices it through his sister...the doctors told him that she was going to be okay, that Liv was going to make a full recovery, and that the only evidence of the wound would be the scar it left behind...but something tells him that it's not that simple...Lloyd needs to see Liv walking and smiling to be sure that she's really okay...but right now she's asleep, hadn't woken up since the surgery. _Good, she needs the rest, too._

Although Liv told him not to feel guilty, Lloyd can't help but feel that way. He did exactly what he swore not to, and it's only because of Harumi that destiny was changed. He'll have to thank her for coming. It's crazy, really. How the slightest detail can change a person's life...

The blond turns to look at Harumi, careful not to jostle Kai's arm resting on his shoulder. He runs a hand absentmindedly through her hair, fingering the pale strands. It's funny to think that when this all started, he didn't even though he had a sister. Now Lloyd can't imagine how he ever lived without her.

Liv, and Harumi…

Harumi is strange to him, they went from friends, to enemies, to partners, to friends, and now...what are they? He wasn't lying earlier when he said that he forgives her, he's had a lot of time to think about it. About her...and about them. And Lloyd wants to leave the past behind, he wants to start over with her...but does she want the same? Sure they were apart of the Resistance, they sparred together, they've talked and had some arguments, but has she forgiven him? Has Harumi forgiven him for what happened to her parents?

Does she want to be more than friends?

Lloyd doesn't know, he'll have to...ask her. Maybe the guys can help him out? What would happen next? That's the true question. Because while Lloyd hates to admit it, Harumi killed the emperor and empress of Ninjago. She was responsible for their deaths and the destruction of the palace...the public isn't just going to let that go…

The soft beat of the monitor fills the waiting room, and Lloyd grunts as he stands, gently slipping out from under Kai's arm and untangling his fingers from Harumi's white hair. His feet tap quietly on the marble floor, silently walking towards the window peering into Liv's hospital room. His eyes wander over to the clock sitting on the wall. _5:23a.m. _Visiting hours ended a while ago, but there was no way he and his friends were going to leave, so they crashed in the waiting room across from Liv's room in still soaking wet gi's. Which probably wasn't the best idea, but it's not like they've got anywhere to go, the bounty was _crushed _after all.

Lloyd stares through the window peering into Liv's hospital room, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest, listening to the steady beep of the monitor. She looks so calm, way more relaxed than he's ever seen her.

The early shift will be coming soon, and visiting hours don't resume until nine o'clock. _However_, Lloyd is a highly trained ninja, and he recently snuck into Borg Tower, which is located in the center of the city and was guarded by crazy bikers and stole (Is it really stealing if you took it from a thief?) The two most guarded items in said tower, so he can sneak into a hospital room no problem.

He looks back and fourth down the hall before heading towards the door. His hand hesitates on the knob, fingers grazing the cold metal. Lloyd sighs, pushing down the last couple of hours and tugging the door open.

The room is dark, save for the gentle light emitted from the monitor. He pulls up the chair from the wall, pulling it up to Liv's bed. Lloyd swallows the lump in his throat, eyeing the I.V. tube run down her arm and disappear into her hand. A small blood bag sits next to the I.V, slowly dripping down another tube. The hospital sheet covers up the bandages around Liv's waist.

Lloyd's fingers graze Liv's hand hesitantly before he takes it in his, making sure to keep his touch as gentle as possible. She stirs a bit before settling, letting out a long sigh. He considers talking to her with their twin telepathy, but decides against it. She needs the rest.

"Hope you're doing alright in there." He says, softly. "The guys are back, and they're really excited to see you awake. Especially Jay." The rain slows down a bit, and the sky slowly shifts to a lighter shade of blue as the sun begins to rise. "I'm going to try and work things out with Harumi, too."

A particular loud yawn escapes him, and Lloyd clamps a hand over his mouth, glancing around the room. "I know you probably want me to go to sleep, huh?" The beep of the monitor is the only answer he gets. "I'll see you in the morning then…" Lloyd sighs, standing up and stretching. "Bye, sis." He tip-toes from the room, closing the door quietly and turning around, only to run into one of the early shift workers.

"Oh, uh, hi..?" Lloyd says, shifting awkwardly at being caught.

"Visiting hours aren't until nine." The employee says, folding his arms.

"I-I know, It's just...she's my sister, and I, um…" Lloyd sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "Wanted to see her."

The employee smiles, his expression softening. "Don't worry about it, I'll let it slide this once." He says, patting Lloyd's shoulder.

The blond cracks a smile as the employee heads down the hall and into another patient's room. Lloyd walks back to the waiting room, sparing the clock on the wall a glance. _5:49a.m. _He settles back into his seat between Harumi and Kai, pulling his knee's back up to his chest and resting his head. Harumi's head tilts to the side, leaning on his shoulder.

Lloyd smiles, shifting a bit before sighing in content. He slowly wraps his arm around her, letting the soft beep of machines lull him to sleep.

* * *

Gentle light peaks through the windows of the waiting room. Soft voices filter through Harumi's head, and she sighs, blinking tiredly. "Aw, aren't they so cute?" Someone coo's, followed by muffled laughter.

The white haired girl sighs, about to sit up when movement at her side stops her. Harumi shifts to look at Lloyd, knees pulled to his chest and snoring softly. She realizes with a start that her head is resting on his shoulder, and his arm is wrapped around her.

"Well, well, well, look who's finally up." Nya says, smiling at Harumi.

"Mmm." Harumi humms, warmth floods her cheeks as she sits up, stretching out her legs. "What's up…?"

"Oh nothing much, just waiting for you two to get up." Nya says, her hands entwined with Jay's. "Visiting hours started a few hours ago, we were waiting for you."

Harumi nods, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Oh, uh sorry." She says, eyeing the clock on the wall. _11:38a.m._ She rubs her eyes again, slipping out from under Lloyd's arm and walking over to the small coffee table. Grabbing one of the styrofoam cups and pouring herself a some coffee. The waiting room is oddly quiet as she pours her coffee, ripping open a pack of sugar and dumping it into her cup.

She takes a sip of the coffee, wincing at the watery taste. Hospital coffee was never that good. Harumi takes another sip anyways, letting the drink wake her up. "Okay, um, let's go see Liv." That seems to break the spell over the group, and they all sit up, racing towards the door. Kai hangs back as the others head towards Liv's room. He shakes Lloyd's shoulder, and the blond shoots up.

"What's going on?" Lloyd asks, sitting up and stretching.

Laughter echoes from Liv's room, and Kai jerks his thumb at the door. "They're finally letting us see her, so get your butt up and come on!" The fire ninja says, dragging Lloyd to his feet.

"Oh...oh!" Lloyd perks up, already looking more awake.

Kai smiles, patting Lloyd's shoulder as the two walk towards Liv's hospital room. Harumi chuckles, taking another sip of watery coffee and following the two. She feels weird with the ninja back. She wonders what they think of her...after all, they didn't really end on good terms.

"_Aw, aren't they so cute?" _

Harumi's cheeks heat at the memory. Her, and Lloyd? Cute? She sighs, leaning against the wall. Sure Lloyd said he forgave her, but did he _really _forgive her, or was that just something he said in the moment? What would the others think? Harumi wants to try and patch up her relationship with Lloyd, she wants to try and be more than friends. She'll have to talk to him sometime.

Laughter filters through Liv's hospital room, and Harumi smiles as she pushes open the door. The ninja are all gathered around Liv's hospital bed, smiling brighter than the sun. The blond girl looks exhausted, no doubt from her time in her mind prison, but she smiles just as brightly as Jay clings to her, looking like he's on the verge of tears. The blond girl hugs the blue ninja tightly, whispering something into his ear. Lloyd sits in a chair next to her bed, Zane and Pixal sitting in two chairs near the window, talking and laughing. Kai and Nya sit at the end of the bed, Cole in a chair next to Lloyd.

"Harumi!" Liv says in delight, shaking out of Jay's grip and waving the white haired girl over.

Harumi sort of freezes, slowly shuffling over towards Liv. Nya grabs her arm as she walks past, whispering hastily. "Me and Pixal talked with the guys this morning, they forgive you." She says, low enough for only her to hear.

"Thanks, Nya." Harumi whispers back.

"No problem." The water ninja says, smiling as she pushes Harumi forwards.

Harumi smiles, the grin only growing as she approaches Liv. The blond girl grins, grunting as she sits up to pull Harumi into a hug. "It's so good to see you!" Liv says, pulling back to look the white haired girl over. "I really missed you."

Harumi smiles at her friend. "I missed you too." She says. "How are you doing? Are you okay?"

Liv's smile falters as she shifts, her hand straying to her side. "Yeah, I'm doing okay." She sighs, staring out the window. "Can't wait to get out of here, though."

"You've been in here less than a day." Cole interjects. He gets a hospital pillow to the face for his troubles.

"Shut up, Cole." Liv huffs, folding her arms. "Weren't you guys dead like...a day ago?"

"Yeah, well, It didn't stick." Kai says, yelping as Nya shoves him.

Harumi laughs, leaning against the wall next to Jay. "Okay, okay, you guys need to spill." Nya exhales on the end of a giggle. "What happened while you were in the first realm?"

She gets four simultaneous groans for an answer. The hospital room explodes with laughter, Liv clutching her side as she cackles. Harumi leans back on the wall as the ninja begin telling them about their time in the realm of Oni and Dragons. "Okay, so we woke up on this beach right…"

* * *

"How much longer do I have to stay here?"

"You can go at the end of the week, it's a stab wound. And the blade was very rigid. We have to make sure that no pieces of the knife broke off."

Liv sighs, dramatically flopping back on her hospital bed. Lloyd winces as she immediately doubles over, clutching her side. Harumi and Lloyd get up from their seats near the window while the doctor tsks.

"You're going to tear the stiches…" The doctor chastises, shaking her head.

"Please listen to her, Liv. If you tear the stitches then you'll have to stay longer." Lloyd sighs, placing a hand on Liv's shoulder.

"Yeah, save us all another heart attack and don't tear the stitches." Harumi says, and Liv huffs.

"You guys are supposed to be on my side." Liv says, glaring at the two. The doctor laughs, patting her back.

"Listen to them, they've got the right idea." She says, checking Liv's stitches before wrapping a fresh roll of bandages around her waist. Lloyd winces at the rigid scar. "You're all welcome to stay as long as you need, and we're working on getting you all access passes."

"You mean no more visiting hours?" Lloyd asks, sitting next to Liv on her bed.

"Yes, no more visiting hours. You can see your sister whenever you'd like." The doctor says, smiling as Lloyd grins, wrapping an arm around Liv. "Well, if there's anything you need, just press that button over there and I'll be right with you." And with that, she walks away, smiling at the three teens before closing the door to fill in the other ninja in the waiting room.

Liv sighs as the doctor leaves, rubbing the bandage around her waist. "Does it hurt?" Lloyd asks, softly.

"Huh? What, no…" Liv says, absentmindedly wrapping her arms protectively around her waist. Lloyd looks away, guilt flashing in his eyes. Harumi looks between the two, running a hand through her hair. "Hey, stop it." The blond girl sighs. "I told you not to feel guilty because it wasn't your fault, Lloyd. So stop _looking _like that."

"Liv, you don't _understand…"_ Lloyd sighs, digging his palms into his eyes. "I stabbed you...I stabbed my sister…"

Liv is quiet, pushing back the memory of Borg Tower...the pure panic when she couldn't get out of her own head. The way her father cackled in her head as he battled Lloyd...the acceptance she felt when he twisted that blade away from her father. Then the sorrow in Lloyd's eyes and the pain that flared in her side. The pain that still lingers in her side. The _voice _that still rings in her head, even though Nya assured her over and over that the ritual was completed. It's trauma, Liv knows that. But of course she's not going to tell anyone that. It'll only freak them out, and it's not him. It's not her father in her head anymore. It's just her. And the scars he left...

She doesn't blame Lloyd, though. She has no right to blame him, after all, it was all her choices that led to that moment. It was all her fault, and she hates that Lloyd and the others had to pay for it. She doesn't even blame Harumi, even though it was her that put the idea in Liv's head. Liv still chose to go along with it.

"I almost killed you when we brought back dad. And in Kryptarium." Liv says, quietly.

"_Liv-_"

"Do you blame me for that?" Liv continues, glaring at the wall. "Do you blame me for all the stupid shit I did? For hiding from you...betraying you...hurting you, _fighting _you..."

"Liv that's not the same, you were forced-" Lloyd begins, placing a hand on Liv's shoulder.

The blond girl whirls on him, throwing his arm off her. "I was forced to betray you? I was forced to resurrect dad? I was forced to spend the better part of my life in hiding because I was a coward?!"

Harumi flinches as Liv yells. The blond girl stands up, walking towards the window. Staring out at the city. "If you can forgive me for all that horrible stuff I did - whether I was under the influence of dad or not - then you can forgive yourself too, Lloyd." Liv sighs, her gaze fixed on Ninjago city. "Same goes for you, Harumi. I forgive both of you, now you need to forgive yourselves."

Lloyd and Harumi look at each other. "And for FSMs sake forgive each other and kiss already." Liv adds, smirking out the window as Lloyd chucks a pillow at her. She easily avoids it, obviously.

"That's not funny, Liv." Harumi laughs, shaking her head.

"Oh? I know it's not, but _that's _what makes it funnier." Liv retorts, she grins as she turns away from the window. "And I specifically remember you talking about how _sweet _and _funny _and how you'd be _so lucky _to end up with him." This time Harumi chucks a pillow at her, and Liv's not so lucky as it smacks her in the face.

Harumi's cheeks flush as she remembers when she told Liv that. When they were looking for the last Oni temple... "Oh? So i'm funny huh?" Lloyd smirks, and Liv laughs, while Harumi's cheeks just darken.

"I take it back…" Harumi says, rolling her eyes fondly.

"I'm sweet, huh?"

"Oh fsm I take it _back!"_

The three double over with laughter, Liv leaning against the rails on her hospital bed. "What else do you think, Harumi." Lloyd says between breaths, wiping a tear from his eyes.

"I think you're both jerks." Harumi says, trying to cover up her laughter with a scoff.

"I know there's a compliment in there somewhere and I'll take it!" Lloyd almost shouts, shaking with barely restrained laughter.

"You jerk."

"There it is!"

Liv falls on the floor, full out cackling. Lloyd and Harumi burst into a fit of laughter at the sight. The three of them soon succumb to their laughter, each giggle only fueling the fire of their joy. The pain in her side has nothing to do with her stab wound, and more with the fact that she's currently dying of laughter. Liv can't remember the last time she laughed this hard, especially with Lloyd and Harumi.

She's glad, though. Liv's grateful for every moment she has with them - with all of them. She's going to make it up to the city, she's going to make sure Harumi and Lloyd go on that first real date (Because they _will _make it up to each other, so help her, Liv knows those two were made for one another, they just don't know it yet, or maybe they do and are just too shy or whatever). She's going to make sure every day is like this one, not stuck in a hospital because she got stabbed, no. Laughter and blissful joy and smiles and jokes and teasing...that's how Liv wants to live her life, that's what she wants the rest of her life to be like. She knows it's asking for a lot, they are ninja after all, trouble is always waiting around the corner...but Liv doesn't care. She's spent too long thinking about the 'what if's' and 'maybe's.' She's spent too long limiting and fearing herself and her powers. She's taking her life into her own hands, she's going to live it to the fullest, and she's going to make everyday count. Live in the moment and leave the past where it belongs.

Something warm floods her as she closes her eyes, the warmth bubbles up in her chest, sparking lightly in her hands. The warmth spreads throughout her soul, touching all the darkness of her mind and heart and unlocking something inside her. When she opens her eyes, she's greeted with the sight of light purple sparks dancing in her hands. Lloyd smiles at her, and Liv smiles back, playing with the sparks in her hands.

Her father was wrong, after all. Lloyd wasn't the one who held her back. It was him, and the fear that he put inside of her. Because her powers aren't bad, they're not something to fear. They can be beautiful, and good. Her father was wrong, beauty can be born anywhere...even in darkness.

Harumi's laughter slows down, if only the slightest as she stands up, leaning against the wall and wiping her eyes. "I don't know If I should kiss you, or shove you off a bridge." She laughs, the room goes silent, and Liv slowly gets up from the floor to sit on her hospital bed, grinning. Harumi's sentence seems to register to her, and the white haired girl sputters while Lloyd stares at her, wide eyed, then-

"...Can I pick?"

Liv sits up straight at that, and Harumi turns to face Lloyd. The blond runs a hand through his hair, his cheeks flushed. Liv looks between the two, watching to see if either of them will make a move. For a moment, the room is silent, Lloyd and Harumi just staring at each other.

Lloyd looks to her, and Liv nods towards Harumi. _You have to make the first move. _He nods, taking a slow step forward. When Harumi doesn't say anything, he takes another step. Liv's smart enough not to intervene with this, but the suspense is eating at her.

Lloyd and Harumi are close, their noses almost brushing. "Do you forgive me?" Harumi says, softly. Her eyes bouncing around Lloyd's face, searching for an answer in his scarlet eyes.

"I do." Lloyd chuckles, and Harumi smiles. "Do you forgive me?"

"I do."

Liv's smile is so wide it hurts, Lloyd leans in, and Harumi all but melts into him. Their lips dance back and forth to a song that only plays for them, Harumi wraps her arms around Lloyd's neck, and his hands snake around her waist, pulling her closer. Green sparks shimmer around the two, glistening in the sunlight that filters through the window.

When the two pull apart, Lloyds cheeks are as red as Kai's gi. Harumi laughs, pulling him into a hug. Liv smiles, glad that they finally had that first kiss. Even if it did take a little prompting. Now if she can just set up a date...

The blond girl claps, cheering and cooing the two. Lloyd and Harumi pull away from each other, both glaring at her.

"You jerk." Lloyd says, though he's smiling.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Liv smirks, throwing his words back at him.

"You're both disasters." Harumi sighs, shaking her head.

"Since when are we not?" Liv retorts, standing up and walking towards the door.

"Speak for yourself…" Lloyd mumbles, and Harumi and Liv both pointedly look at him. The blond relents, throwing up his hands and following Harumi and Liv out the door.

Harumi reaches for his hand, and he takes it. Their fingers entwined as they walk down the hall, Liv smirking behind them. The ninja are spread out around the waiting room, they smile when the three of them come into view.

"Just another week and you're free to go, huh?" Jay says, getting up from his seat next to Nya and throwing an arm around Livs shoulder. "Excited?"

"Very." Liv sighs, staring longingly out the window. She eyes the group of Ninja sitting in the waiting room, and frowns. "You know you guys don't have to stay here, right? I do have an apartment."

"Just wanna make sure you're okay, that's all." Jay says, tugging her into a seat.

"But we might just take you up on that offer." Cole huffs, leaning back in his chair. Liv smiles before nodding towards Harumi and Lloyd, sitting next to each other.

Cole's eyes widen, but he keeps his mouth shut. No one says anything about the pair, yet. Liv knows darn well that the guys will pester Lloyd later, same with Nya. The group laughs and talks, just enjoying each other's company as the hours tick by.

* * *

Liv eventually convinces the others to go and stay at her apartment. But they'll have to go find a way to get in without the key because apparently that thing is long gone. Got lost during their crazy adventure. But they're ninjas, surely if Lloyd can break into Borg tower while it was overrun with deranged bikers, they can break into an apartment.

Of course, Lloyd's not going to leave Liv alone. He just got her back. Plus, he's sure the others can finish their plan without him, and Harumi went with the others, too. To see how the others would react around her without Lloyd, hopefully Nya and Pixal keep them in line if things go south.

Liv and Lloyd sit together on her hospital bed, the sounds of the TV nothing but background noise. "So…" Lloyd starts, turning to look at Liv. "Did you unlock it?"

Liv smiles, holding out her hand. Light purple sparks dance around her fingers, forming a miniature, lavender dragon. Lloyd holds out his own hand. And a small emerald dragon joins Liv's light purple one. He takes notice that her powers are lighter than before, a lighter shade of purple than before.

"I see you got your powers back, too." Liv says, smiling at the sight of emerald in Lloyd's eyes.

"Yeah…" Lloyd breathes, letting the small dragon dissipate. "How'd you unlock it? Your true potential?"

Liv takes a breath, blowing it out slowly as she gathers her thoughts. "I just...realized that all the things I did in my life, it had something to do with dad. One way or another, he always had some sort of power over me. Manipulating me..." Liv says, her gaze distant. "And then I just...let him go. I let the past go." She pauses, turning to face her twin. "What about you? How'd you get your powers back?"

"Harumi, I think…" he says, slowly. "I'm not really sure, I just...felt like I was missing something, I thought it was the guys, or you, then I realized it was her."

"That's so sappy and adorable." Liv smiles, wrapping an arm around Lloyd.

The blond shoved her playfully. "I'm glad you're okay." He says, and Liv sighs, leaning her head on his shoulder. Their light mood tampered.

"Mmm. Me too." She says, closing her eyes. Lloyd smiles at her, squeezing his twin's shoulder. Liv wraps her arms around her waist, and Lloyd sighs, shifting a bit before settling.

The sounds of the TV filter and out of his head, slowly becoming softer and softer. Soon the two are asleep, the only sounds in the room being the late night commercials and the beep of the monitor.

* * *

Lloyd's especially excited when the end of the week rolled around. He even seems more excited than Liv.

Liv all but ran from the hospital the minute they gave the all clear, sprinting from the building and over to Lloyd, who was waiting just outside the doors. "You ready to go?" He says, throwing an arm around Liv's shoulder.

"Absolutely," Liv breathes, waving to the hospital as she and Lloyd walk down the street towards her apartment. She looks over at Lloyd, taking notice of the wide smile plastered to his face. "What's got you so happy?"

Lloyd looks at her, his smiling seeming to grow. "You'll see." Is all he says.

Liv sighs as she walks, looking around the city. It looks much better than it did a week ago, people shuffle through the streets, talking with other citizens or helping out with fixing up the city. She's glad that Ninjago city is getting back on its feet, and hopefully one day, this will just be another obstacle they've overcome.

The walk to her apartment is silent, not that Liv minds. The sounds of the city are enough to fill the quiet. Lloyd's smile only seems to grow as they approach her apartment complex, and Liv sighs.

She hasn't been to her apartment since this all started, she didn't even have her key. Lloyd pushes open the door to the lobby, following after her up the stairs and towards her apartment. Liv takes the steps two at a time, smiling as she approaches the second floor. They stop in front of the door where it all started. The numbers _**2287**_ bolted into it.

Faint music echoes from just beyond the wall, and Liv turns around to look at Lloyd, who motions for her to open the door. Liv huffs, knocking on the door. Which is weird, because it's her house. But nevertheless, she did lose the key.

"Surprise!"

Liv screams as the door swings open, and Lloyd laughs, dragging her inside. Liv gapes as she enters her apartment, her mother, Wu, Skylor, Ronin, The ninja, Harumi, Mystake, the elemental masters, all standing in her small apartment.

_So this is why Lloyd was so happy. _

Liv looks around, her smiling growing as she looks from face to face. "Guys, what the heck?" She laughs stepping farther into her home.

"You just got out of the hospital, right?" Zane says, his hand entwined with Pixals.

"We're throwing you a party!" Jay shouts, poking his head out among the crowd.

Liv smiles, a hand over her mouth. "_Guys," _She says, leaning back on Lloyd. "You didn't have to do all this for me-"

"Nonsense." Mystake says, pushing her way towards Liv. "You helped save Ninjago, it's only fitting we celebrate."

Liv smiles, and the elderly woman pats her shoulder. "And the real parties on the roof!" Kai huffs, already dragging Skylor towards the door.

"Wait, what's on the roof-?" Liv's question falls on death ears as Lloyd covers her eyes, leading her out of the apartment and up a set of stairs.

She can hear the others laughing and talking somewhere behind her as she stumbles up the stairs. Lloyd keeps his hands firmly over her eyes, and Liv huffs as her foot catches on a step. Lloyd laughs, tugging her up the stairs.

They stop all of a sudden, probably at the door to the roof. The creak of metal echoes in the hall as cold air nips at her cheeks. Lloyd laughs, uncovering Liv's eyes. The blond girl blinks, her eyes adjusting to the light as she stares.

"_This _is the real party." Lloyd says, the smile in his voice as he gestures around the roof.

Liv can only stare, the roof looks amazing! Four picnic tables spread out, a canopy over a large table with food and drinks, a _welcome back_ banner attached to that. A bean bag toss is set up in the corner along with a speaker system. With lavender and green streamers and table toppers to top it off.

Lloyd smiles as Liv turns around. Without warning she launches herself at him, her arms wrapped tightly around him in a fierce hug. Lloyd clings back to her, burying his head in her shoulder.

"This is amazing…" She whispers.

"It's what you deserve." Lloyd says, pulling away to wrap an arm around her shoulder. "Now come on, wanna kick Kai's butt in bean bag toss?"

Liv smiles, as Lloyd drags her all over. Introducing her to the elemental masters. They drag Kai and Nya away from Jay and Skylor, claiming that they have to prove who the superior sibling duo is. which, in hindsight, got _way_ too competitive when the other elemental masters started choosing sides and placing bets.

But hey, they really did have to prove who was the superior sibling duo.

* * *

The ninja and elemental masters all sat together at one of the picnic tables, the setting sun painting the sky a brilliant array of reds and oranges. Liv smiles, watching the others laugh and talk.

Lloyd and her won the bean bag toss, obviously. Kai's still shooting her dirty looks, but oh well. He'll just have to get better, then.

A tap on her shoulder pulls Liv away from the conversation, and she turns to smile at her mother. "Do you mind if I borrow them for a second?" Misako asks, gesturing towards her kids.

"No go ahead," Nya says, shooing the twins away. "Be back soon, there's ice cream coming out in a bit."

Lloyd and Liv get up from the table, following Misako towards the edge of the roof overlooking the streets below. "What's up, mom?" Lloyd says, an arm over Liv's shoulders.

Misako hesitates, fiddling with her long greying hair. "I...you kids have grown so much…" She starts, looking at her two kids. Liv and Lloyd walk up next to her, hugging their mother tightly. "All I wanted was for you two to be happy, but I made it worse by separating you." Tears soak the twins' clothes as Misako hugs them.

Liv tightens her grip around Misako, burying her head in her shoulder. She's not going to say her mother is wrong, per say. Because maybe this all could've been avoided if she hadn't separated them, but at the same time, look at how much she gained?

She gained Harumi, one of her best friends. She finally got over her past with her father, she finally let him go and accepted herself and unlocked her true potential.

In a way, these past few months, her mother separating her and Lloyd, might've been the best thing that happened to her. It made Liv who she is today, it's made her strong and passionate. It's helped her see past the masks that people wear, to read between the lines and see what others don't. To see the best in people.

"It's alright, mom." Lloyd says, softly. "We weren't ever going to be a happy family with dad."

Liv smothers a coughing sort of laugh, while Misako pulls away to turn a scolding look on Lloyd before shaking her head and pulling her twins back into a hug. "But I still should've never separated you two, I-"

Liv shakes her head, pulling away from Misako. "Mom, listen to me," She says, firmly. "Everything that's happened to us, has happened for a reason. And whether we like those reasons or not, it doesn't matter." She looks at her twin and mother, taking their hands. "Everything that's happened has made us strong, every wall meant to stop us, we rose above. Everything destiny threw at us, we threw it right back." Lloyd smiles at her, and her mother's eyes shine with tears of pride. "Because we are strong. Our destinies demanded us to walk through hell, and we walked as if we owned the place."

Liv sighs, squeezing Misako and Lloyd's hands tighter. "Point being," She says, blowing hair out of her face. "Why does it matter as long as we're together now? We've got everything we could ask for right here. And I for one, am ready to let the past die, so we can live."

Lloyd nods, and Misako wipes tears from her eyes. She grabs three drinks from the refreshments table, filling them up one by one with lemonade. She hands them to her twins, smiling. "To letting the past die, so we can live." Misako says, holding up her cup.

The twins laugh, holding up their own drinks. "Here here!" Liv chuckles as the three clink their drinks together.

While the Garmadon family may never be totally happy, or totally together, that's okay. They don't need to be. Liv has everything she could ever want right here on this roof. Her brothers. Her sister. Her friends. Her uncle. Her mother. Her twin. They are all she wants, and they're all she needs. She's done looking for a family like them in other people, in her father...she's never going to get it. And that's okay.

Harumi walks up to the three, smiling softly. "I'll leave you guys alone." Misako says, walking back over towards Wu and Ronin.

Lloyd smiles at Harumi, and the white haired girl takes his hand in hers. "What happens now?" She asks, looking up at Lloyd.

The two blonds look at each other, Lloyd downing the rest of his drink. "Honestly, Rumi, I dunno…" He sighs, squeezing Harumi's hand.

"I'm fine as long as we're not planning on going on another wild ride, maybe take a break from saving the city for the tenth time." Liv laughs, taking a sip of her drink.

"A break sounds good." Harumi sighs, leaning on Lloyd's left shoulder. "But knowing your luck, you'll probably be fighting another big bad within the next week."

"Shh! You're gonna jinx it!" Liv says, slapping Harumi playfully on the shoulder.

The three of them laugh, falling quiet after a while. Liv sighs, leaning on Lloyd's right shoulder. The blond huffs, looking down at Lv. "I'm not a pillow." He says, trying to sound annoyed, but the smile is in his voice.

"You are now." Liv retorts, making a point of burying her head in his shoulder.

"No, I'm not."

"Shhh, just accept your fate, pillow ninja." Harumi interjets, smiling at Lloyd's indignant sputter.

He eventually relents, accepting his fate as the pillow ninja. The three of them are quiet, staring out over Ninjago city. Liv smiles as the sun dips lower, turning the reds to dark blues. The lights in homes and buildings that weren't destroyed flicker to life, and the smile on Liv's face only grows as she imagines the family that lives inside each and every structure. She doesn't know what the future holds, she doesn't know what else Destiny will throw at them, and she has no idea what's going to happen next.

But as long as her family's by her side, well, she doesn't really care.

* * *

**That's it everyone! We've finally reached the end! I can't express how fun it was to write this story, and how much I loved seeing everyone's reviews and support. I want to thank each and everyone who took the time to read this story, it truly means the world to me. But, don't be sad because it's over, be happy because it happened. **

**A special thanks to PrincePacman47, for your continued reviews and support. I smile everytime I see your reviews, and like I said, your suggestions have been taken into account. And the scene with Misako apologizing to her twins was inspired by you and the review you left for chapter 20. Go check out PrincePacman's three part story, The tournament of elements! It's amazing!**

**Quick p.s. before I get into the plans for what happens next, Liv's powers turning a lighter shade of purple (from a dark violet to a light lavender), represents the acceptance of her powers, and her realizing that they can be beautiful and good instead of dark and destructive. **

**Now, I have decided that this story will actually continue in part two of this adventure: Play to win!**

**Because most of you guys want more of the Garmadon twins. The second part of their adventure will take place in season 12, and just to make things clear, season 10 and 11 did not happen, I repeat, seasons 10 and 11 **_**did not happen!**_** Play to win will focus mainly on Jay and Liv.**

**And lastly, I will be doing three (3) chapters of epilogue. Which will include: a further in depth explanation on what happened to Garmadon and Nya helping Liv cope, Harumi facing justice for destroying the palace and causing the death of the emperor and empress, and a moment between Liv and Jay that will set the stage for Play to win. **

**Guys...I really am grateful for all the support I've gotten for this fic. So thank you, all of you. And if you all liked this story, check out my other fanfic called A package deal!**

**Thank you all again, and until next time, **

_**GreenGirl~ **_


	28. Epilogue 1 Late Night

**This is number one out of three epilogue chapters: Late Night. This is a Nya and Liv centric chapter and takes place two weeks after chapter 27.**

* * *

Liv stands on the balcony of her apartment, staring out across the moonlit city. She blinks, and see's the city engulfed in violet flames, the fires carry the smell of death and smoke across a ruined city, a stone demon standing tall and menacing as citizens run and scream and _die _and flee.

She blinks again, and the flames are gone. The colossus is gone. The city is quiet.

The smell of death and smoke still linger in the air. Liv ignores it.

Instead, she focuses on the lights inside of buildings that weren't destroyed. Watching the silhouettes of people moving through their homes. It's been a reassurance to her, seeing the lights flicker through the windows of buildings that weren't destroyed. It reminds her that just one more family made it out of this disaster unscathed, or, at least, she hopes they did.

It's also a reassurance to look at the sky, with nothing but clouds, the stars, and the moon. Not, per say, a giant stone colossus.

She's always liked clear skies. So it's nice to see it tonight, clear of the smoke from burning buildings that no one ever put out and a giant stone demon that blocked out the moonlight that would flicker in and out of the clouds. She's ecstatic to see it through eyes that are truly her's.

The city cleans up nicely, the stone's from the colossus finally swept away by bulldozers and dumped in, well, the dump. The fires from buildings that no one ever put out were finally snuffed. The people finally feeling safe enough to go out and do their jobs around the city. The sirens and ominous screams that used to ring constantly around the city have stopped. Leaving the city eerily quiet in the dark night sky. The kind of quiet the city gets after a disaster, the eerie kind of aftermath. Where people are busy picking themselves up from the rubble and trying to move on.

But some things can't be swept under the rug, no matter how much Liv wishes they could be.

The first night she'd gotten out of the hospital, and didn't hear the sirens or shouts, she'd thought that there just wasn't anyone left to scream. That the fires had died out and the sirens that went with them finally lost the power they needed to keep going. She'd thought that the city was vacant of people, abandoned.

She'd gotten so used to hearing those sounds that she just didn't know what to think when they stopped.

And maybe she's not _just _talking about the sounds of the city anymore.

But she doesn't want to think about it right now, it always ends in her wanting to dig her fingers into her skull, and Lloyd, nor Harumi or Jay, is here to reassure her tonight. But the lights in buildings and homes are better. A better reassurance of life than the screaming and sirens. The city is slowly rebuilding itself, if the large construction trucks scattered around the city are anything to go by.

Liv sighs, watching the stars twinkle in the clear sky. She lets a ribbon of lavender twirl around her fingers, admiring the beautiful color. It's better than the dark purple she'd gotten used too. A soft knocking echoes in her quiet apartment. She turns, reaching for her phone sitting next to her journal on the nightstand and checking the time, _10:08p.m., _the knock echoes one more time, and Liv frowns, closing her balcony door and reaching under her bed, pulling out a dagger and leaving her room, slowly walking towards her door.

She opens it hesitantly, the dagger clutched in her hand as she peeks into the hall. Her expression relaxs as she catches sight of Nya's familiar smile. In all her grey sweatpants and light blue t-shirt glory as she holds up a small grocery bag, and Liv opens the door fully, letting Nya in.

"Hey!" Nya says, far too cheerfully for someone who's just showed up at her house at ten o'clock. "Sorry I didn't call, how's life?"

Liv snorts, closing the door behind the water ninja and locking it. "Eh, getting better." She says, tossing the dagger onto her counter. "What about you guys? How's renovating the Monastery going?"

Nya groans at that, setting the grocery bag down on the counter next to the dagger. She doesn't even spare the silver blade a second glance. "It's going good, I guess. It's actually going a lot faster than I would've thought, with everyone pitching in." She says, unloading a container of chocolate ice cream - oh, Nya is Liv's favorite person ever. Nya grins as Liv eyes the tub, then she pulls out a can of whipped cream and strawberries. Nya has just made herself Liv's favorite person for the next _month_,

"That's good." Liv says, peeling her eyes away from the container and back onto Nya. "It's about time we fixed up the Monastery."

"Yeah." Nya huffs, putting the ice cream in Liv's freezer and the strawberries and whipped cream into the fridge. "With the bounty gone, we need somewhere to stay."

Liv's eyes flash with guilt, memories that weren't really hers popping up in the back of her head, the grating laughter and the heartbreaking scream and the crack of wood ringing in her ears.

Liv blinks. She sees his eyes, so similar to her own.

She blinks again. And sees nothing.

Nya has a hand on her shoulder, a sympathetic look in her eyes. Liv waves her off, putting on a smile. The Ninja had stayed with her for a few days, but her apartment only has one room, and while she doesn't mind having blow up mattresses scattered all over her apartment and staying up late watching movies and playing games and just enjoying the well deserved break from saving the city for the umpteenth time that they _deserve! _Her neighbors might. The ninja aren't very quiet, and Zane and Pixal, bless them, were trying their best, but in the end the walls in Liv's apartment complex are kinda thin and she'd already gotten a few complaints from annoyed neighbors about '_the constant stomping' _and '_the random shouts that ring out during the day.' _That the ninja decided to headout and fix up the Monastery to stay in, instead.

"You guys know my doors are always open." Liv says, softly. "Annoying neighbors be damned."

Nya laughs, still eyeing her as she takes a seat at the small island in Liv's kitchen. "Yeah, we know. But didn't want to get you in trouble or anything." She sighs, looking at Liv. "And the same thing goes for you, too."

Liv smiles. "Thanks," She says, "And don't worry about getting me in trouble, i've known the owner of this building for like, a few months? He's cool." She says, taking a seat next to Nya.

The two fall quiet, Liv fiddling with her braided blond hair. "What brings you here so late?" She asks, eyeing the time on the microwave. "Not that I don't mind, you can show up any time if you bring ice cream over."

Nya laughs, "Someone has to make sure your not bored to death without us,"

Liv chuckles, though that's not really an answer, she takes what she can get. It has been pretty quiet since the Ninja left, and she has been pretty bored, and Nya did bring her ice cream...so…

"...And It's nice to visit without having to go all Ninja and disspearing into the shadows." Nya mutters, Liv nods in agreement. "I thought we could hang out, have a little girls night, or whatever." Nya continues, "Harumi, Pixal, and Skylor we're going to come, too, but Harumi and Lloyd needed some help with the whole, uh, court situation," Liv winces in sympathy. She knows they're struggling with that right now. "Pixal agreed to help them and Skylor already had plans to go see a movie with Kai, so you're stuck with me for the night."

Liv smiles, slinging an arm around Nya's shoulders. "Well, that's alright." She grins, tugging Nya towards the couch. "Wanna have a movie marathon?"

"Sure." Nya says, flopping down on the couch next to Liv, swiping the remote and holding it in the air as Liv pouts. "But I'm picking - hey, no, give it back - we're not watching a two hour long nature documentary."

Liv pouts, begrudgingly handing the remote to Nya. "I wasn't going to pick a nature documentary." She sulks.

"Uh-huh." Nya smirks, the TV turns on with a soft click.

Liv frowns, before her eyes shine with mischief as she goes out on a limb. "Well, I guess we could always watch one of those romantic comedies that you and Jay watch all the time." She smirks. Nya turns a betrayed glare on her.

"Who told you?" She demands.

"You did, just now." Liv smirks, and Nya glares at her, swatting her shoulder. The blond laughs, shoving Nya. "Come on, you and Jay aren't that slick."

"You're actually the spawn of satan." Nya groans, pinching the bridge of her nose. "As if one wasn't enough."

Liv knows that Nya is probably talking about Lloyd, but Garmadon comes to her mind instead. She blinks again, shaking her head and snatching up the remote and picking one of the various nature documentaries. She decides to be merciful and picks an interesting one that's only an hour and a half long. Though she doubts she and Nya will finish the whole thing.

"Hey, what can I say?" She grins as Nya sighs, resigning herself as the opening titles and the calm, somewhat monotone voice of the narrator floats from the TV. "The apples don't fall far...from the tree…"

Livs sentence cuts off in a gasp as the remote slips from her fingers, her hands shaking as they wrap around her waist. Every memory that wasn't her own and fist that was thrown and every single word forced through her lips flashing through her head. _Damn it. _She's supposed to be over this. It wasn't her and she knows that. So why does Liv still hear his laughter in her head? Why does she still see Borg Tower and picture herself at the top? Why does she look at the city and see it in flames?

Why does she look in the mirror and see her father staring back at her?

Nya sighs, standing up from the couch and walking over towards the kitchen. She pulls out two bowls from the cabinet, placing them on the counter as she opens the freezer. "I know it's been awhile since everything happened, but do you wanna talk about it?" She says, softly. Liv bites her lip, stubbornly turning her gaze back to the TV. _No. _

"If you don't wanna talk about it then _say _so. But don't pull a Lloyd and say your fine when you're not, either." Nya adds.

Liv huffs, she doesn't want to talk about it. It's not her fault that the stuff the others want her to open up about is dark and ugly. But..she's trying to be more open with the others. She's trying not to keep any secrets, but it's hard when she's kept secrets her whole life. "I - I know I've asked this a lot, but I want to know what happened to my dad." She says, finally. Her gaze fixed on Nya.

The raven haired girl sighs, scoping the chocolate ice cream into the bowls. Liv bites her lip, already regretting this.

"There's a lot to tell." Nya finally says, heavily. Passing one of the bowls to Liv as she sits down on the couch next to the blond girl, her eyes glassy with memory.

* * *

Nya and Pixal's team were doing fine, the perimeter around the temple was clear, and Lloyd and Harumi's team were inside, probably already starting the ceremony.

And while Nya would much rather not have Lloyd face his father alone (or at all for that matter), he has too. But Nya has faith in him. She has to believe that he'll be okay, because he fought him once already, he knows what to expect, Hopefully Lloyd won't make the same mistake twice. Hopefully he won't let his guard down like she did.

Because of course everything was going great until it wasn't.

She should've gotten suspicious when there were only a few people guarding the temple, but she hadn't thought much about it and it cost them.

"Lloyd! Lloyd! It's an ambush!" Nya yells into her commlink, clocking a biker upside the head with the hilt of her spear. "We're pinned! Hurry up!"

Lloyd never responds, which only fuels the fires of her panic. Her team of just Pixal, Tox, Paleman and Shade we're outnumbered by the sheer amount of gangsters. And while her and her team were more skilled fighters than them, it wouldn't have been much of a fight if the SoGs didn't pull _guns _out on them.

"Get behind me and Pixal, _now!_" Nya shouts, as she pulls the water from the moat surrounding the temple. Pixals hands move fast to catch the bullets aimed at Nya as she uses the water from the moat to create a wall between her team and the gangsters.

The bullets slam into the thick water shield, Pixal catching any bullet that passed through the wall of water in her metal hand. The bikers scowled in frustration, firing off more rounds.

"What do we do?" Tox asks, standing behind the wall of water.

"Stay behind me and Pix and wait until they run out of ammo?" Nya suggests, waving her hand. A tendril of water snakes out from the water shield, wrapping itself around one of the bikers' guns and hurling it into the moat below.

"Or," Paleman says, "I could go and disarm them."

Nya turns to look at paleman,_ Right. Invisibility and all that. _"Shade, Paleman, you both go and disarm them. Then we'll help out the others in the temple." Nya says, she winces as the gunfire echoes in her ears. "And try not to get shot, that's not a part of the plan."

Paleman and Shade nod, the masters of light and shadow disappearing as they sneak past the water wall and towards the bikers. The two work fast, and soon the sound of gunfire stops, and Nya hesitantly lowers the water back into the moat. The metal bullets disappear into the water.

"Nice work, guys." Nya says, smiling at the motionless bikers laying in the grass. "Now lets go before more of them show up."

Her team nods back at her, running across the courtyard and towards the temple. Harumi comes sprinting from the temple just as Nya and her team make it too the large, wooden doors. She says something, too rushed for Nya to understand.

Pixal pushes open the wooden doors of the temple, Killow, Ultra Violet, and Mr. E all sit near the wall, tied up and gagged. The captured thugs glare at Nya and her team as they join Skylor near the altar.

Skylor smiles at them, "Oh great, you're here." She says, sounding tired. "We could use your help with the ceremony, since you were here when it was performed the first time."

Nya laughs awkwardly at the memory. "Oh, uh, yeah okay." She says, as Neuro hands her a sheet of paper. Nya stares blankly at it, taking in the hastily written directions.

"Okay, then. Let's get this over with." Nya huffs, as she gestures for the others to set up the Oni masks. Remembering the set up from the first ceremony.

The directions on the scrap of paper are pretty straightforward. Set up the masks, chant the words, and wait. And lucky for them, they don't need anyone's hair for this, so that's a plus.

Nya has enough of the first ceremony stored away somewhere in her head to know how to pronounce the odd words, the wind picks up around them, the masks hovering in the air. The wind tugs at Nya's hair, wiping it around her as the masks spin faster and faster until they collide in a burst of violet light.

The others stumble back, but Nya holds her ground, gripping the altar with white-knuckles. "What do we do now?!" Skylor yells over the wind, her hair whipping around her like a fiery red halo.

Nya looks down at the crumpled scrap of paper in her hands, hastily reading Harumi's scribbled directions. _Rip the fabric between the realms, connect me to the departed realm, to send back he of many names, to which he came. _

Whoever came up with these chants…

Nya huffs, stuffing the paper back into the pockets of her gi. "R-rip the fabric between the realms! Connect me to the departed–" Nya's shouts are cut off in a yelp as a round of gunfire rings through the temple, various shouts of alarm echo across the walls as the Resistance members drop to the floor.

Dozens of bikers come pouring into the temple, armed and ready. Killow and Ultra Violet let out cheers as the other gangsters rush forwards, Mr. E's scarlet eyes narrow. "Stop them!" Skylor shouts, "Nya, keep going! Do not stop!"

Nya nods, as the familiar sound of gunfire and clashing blades echoes in the temple. The winds howling in her ears, Nya turns her attention to the rift beginning to form above her. "Connect me to the Departed Realm!" She yells into the rift, the wind picks up, surrounding Nya in a raging cyclone. A flinch runs through her as s pop rings out behind her, and she turns to see one of the SoGs, gun aimed at her back.

Nya smirks at the gangster as he fires off more rounds, each one deflected by the winds surrounding her. Water surges up in Nya's hands, and she twirls, sending the ribbon of water spinning around her with the rushing wind.

The water glistens in the moonlight, soaring with the wind. Surrounding Nya in a cyclone of wind and water. She eyes Skylor, watching as the redhead kicks away one of the bikers' swords, keeping them from freeing Killow, Mr E., and Ultra Violet.

Nya takes a deep breath, calming her nerves. She has to finish the ceremony. "To send back he of many names, to which he came!" The rift suddenly closes, the winds around Nya slowing down and the water that swirled in the wind drops. The battle going on around her pauses, as the raven haired girl frowns. She did what Harumi told her too, she said all the words, they have all the masks. Why isn't it-?!

The rift re-opens with a _pop! _Sending out a shock wave as the winds pick up fiercely and blowing them all back as it rages. Stunning even the Sons of Garmadon. Nya clings to the altar, her scream drowned out by the howling winds. The eerie violet light fades into a bloodcurdling black. Nya grips the altar with white-knuckes, her arms wrapped around the stone and her head pressed up against it.

A shrill scream slits the air of the temple, sending a shiver down Nya's spine as a black puff of smoke drifts through the temple. From Borg Tower, Nya would assume. _Garmadon. _The puff of black smoak shrieks as it's dragged towards the rift, Nya brings her hands to her ears, yelping as she's almost thrown back. Her arms latch around the altar again, and she pushes herself up against it.

With a final scream, Garmadon's spirit is dragged back into the Departed Realm, the black smoke disappearing into the rift.

The rift closes, the wind dying down. The screaming stops, and the Oni masks drop to the floor.

Nya blinks, her ears ringing as she slowly stands up. The temple sits in stunned silence, both sides stare at each other blankly.

"What are you waiting for?!" Killow shouts, suddenly. "Get them!"

This seems to snap the bikers out of their shock as gunfire rings out across the temple again. Nya ducks around the altar as shots slam into the stone. She peeks out past the stone, shooting a jet of water from her hands before falling back.

"What do we do?!" Skylor shouts to them from where she's hidden behind one of the pillars with a few of the elemental masters.

"I do not know!" Pixal yells over the gunfire. "There are too many of them!"

Nya curses under her breath, her head spinning as she sends another jet of water towards the bikers, this time the blast hits one of them, but a bullet almost clips her shoulder, and Nya pulls back, pressing herself against the altar.

She looks around, taking in the terrified faces of her team. They're stuck.

Nya taps at her commlink, wincing at the shrill whine of static. She taps it again, waiting for the static to clear before opening her mouth to speak when a burst of light erupts in the night sky. Five large dragons shoot out from the portal in the sky, their roars ringing across the destroyed city.

Nya looks to Skylor, who looks to Pixal. The nindroid stares at the sky in wonder, before she turns a beaming smile towards them, nodding.

"_Yes!_" Nya shouts, her smile so wide it hurts. "Yes yes yes! They're back!"

The elemental masters look towards the sky, catching sight of the dragons. The Sons of Garmadon look towards the sky for an entirely different reason, horror flashing across their faces.

Nya's entire being shakes with joy. Her hands fling up towards her commlink, "Lloyd!" She yells into the comm, peeking out from behind the altar to blast one of the bikers in their shock at the Ninja's arrival. "The guys are back!"

Lloyd doesn't respond to her, but Nya's too focused on the return of her friends and dealing with the SoGs to really think much of it. _"Nya?" _The raven haired girl freezes, her eyes clouding with tears. _"Nya! Where are you? Do you need help?" _

"Kai!" Nya says, her voice cracking. "Yes! I'm at the temple of Resurrection, hurry!"

"_Zane's on his way, just hang in there!" _

Nya nods, even though she knows her brother can't see the gesture. She beams at Skylor and Pixal, and sure enough, a huge, grey dragon with icy blue shards soars above them. The gangsters aim their guns at the dragon, firing at the large beast.

The dragon roars, a burst of ice shooting out from its mouth and encasing the Sons of Garmadon. The Resistance cheers as the dragon lands, and Pixal jumps into Zane's arms the minute he steps away from the dragon.

"Pixal!" Zane breaths, wrapping his arms around her. "You're alright!"

"No thanks to you guys." Skylor laughs, patting Zane on the back.

Pixal steps away from Zane, holding his hand. Nya runs towards him, hugging the nindroid tightly. Zane returns the embrace, before pulling away. "I must help the others with the colossus." He says, turning towards the stone giant fighting against the other four dragons.

"Go," Pixal says, giving Zane's hand a squeeze. "Help the others, I shall see you again."

Zane smiles, placing a kiss on her cheek before pulling away. Pixal smiles, her emerald eyes flashing. Zane waves to them before mounting his dragon, and with a roar, flies towards the stone colossus to help the others.

Nya smiles as the dragon flies off, her grin widening as she turns to face the Sons of Garmadon, encased in ice. "We did it!" She shouts, and the cheers of the Resistance echo in the temple, clapping each others on the back and hugging.

"Wait, but what about Lloyd and his sister?" Skylor says, and the cheers come to a halt.

Nya curses under her breath, tapping her comm. "Lloyd!" She shouts into it. "Where are you!? Are you okay?!"

Nya waits in baited breath, her heart racing faster and faster with every passing second her little brother doesn't reply. Then - _"I'm at Borg Tower, Nya I need you to-" _Lloyd's sentence is abruptly cut off, and Nya blinks, tapping the comm again. The other elemental masters look on in worry.

"Lloyd? Lloyd!?" Nya curses, turning to face the others. She shakes her head.

"Well? Did he say where he was?" Skylor asks.

"He said he was at Borg Tower, but that's all." Nya sighs, biting her lip.

"Well then let's go-"

"_Guys! I need anyone near Borg Tower to get here right now! It's Liv!" _Nya winces as Lloyd's voice rings through her ears. She looks towards the others before sighing.

"You guys take them to Kryptarium. I'm gonna go help Lloyd." Nya says, already running from the temple. Their adventure has yet to come to a close, apparently.

* * *

"Wow." Liv says, and Nya laughs.

"Wow is right." She sighs, taking another bite of ice cream. "That night was so action packed…"

"Tell me about it." Liv breaths, frowning at her empty bowl. Annoyed at it's audacity to show up empty.

The two fall silent, Liv getting up to get some more ice cream. Nya snorts, taking another bite of her own. Liv grins as she spoons the frozen treat into her bowl, topping it off with a spray of whipped cream and strawberries.

Nya is quiet for a beat, studying Liv with an unreadable expression. "You know, Liv," She starts, slowly. "If you don't want to talk that's fine, but I just want you to know that I'll be ready to lend an ear if you need it. You don't have to keep secrets anymore."

Liv stares at her, she blinks again, her eyes straying towards the window. A clear night sky, she can even see the stars twinkle in the sky. No giant colossus. She turns to face Nya, smiling softly. "I know." She whispers, "Thank you, it means a lot."

"Any time." Nya smiles, patting the seat on the couch next to her. "Now, let's see if we can find a good nature documentary."

Liv beams, taking a seat next to Nya as she scrolls through dozens of documentaries, settling on one of her favorites about Hyroshi's Labyrinth. A smile tugs at her lips as the titles flash across the screen.

* * *

**Next up, the Llorumi centric chapter. Where justice must be served.**


	29. Epilogue 2 Locked Away

_**If I got locked away, and we lost it all today, tell me honestly, would you still love me the same~ **_**Number two out of three epilogue chapters; Locked Away. The Llorumi centric chapter that I realized 8k words in wasn't as Llorumi centric as I wanted. **

**The courtroom scene of this chapter was really hard to write, which is why this chapter took so long. I tried my best to capture them correctly, but it's probably a little inaccurate, heh. Now we can start.**

* * *

In all honesty, Lloyd should've expected this.

"This way!" Harumi shouts, yanking him into an alley as the group of policemen run past them.

Lloyd watches them run past, leaning back against the brick wall, Harumi does the same across from him, her hands on her knees. Lloyd's been chased by people before, by bad guys who want to kidnap him and civilians who just want an autograph, but never by the police.

"I think we've lost 'em for now." He says, peering down the street. "We should get back to the monastery before they find us."

Harumi just nods, not meeting his gaze as she scowls at the ground. It's hard not to feel angry like her, and Lloyd's beginning to wonder if he should be. He wasn't surprised when Liv set up a date for them, just a casual lunch at a small restaurant that hadn't been destroyed, what surprised him was the amount of policemen that ended up chasing them from the restaurant.

He should've expected this, Harumi was responsible for the destruction of the palace and death of the emperor and empress, and while he doesn't really blame her anymore, the people might. After all, they don't know Harumi like he does.

"Liv's apartment is near here, right?" Harumi says, quietly. "We could go there."

Lloyd nods, and the two sneak out from the alley and towards Liv's apartment, heads down and hoods up. They look suspicious at best, but Lloyd hopes they can get to Liv's apartment before anyone notices them.

* * *

"Liv?" Harumi says, knocking on the door to Liv's apartment. The door swings open moments later, the blond in question standing in the doorway.

Liv takes one look at Harumi and Lloyd, taking in their almost desperate faces and windswept hair before pulling them into her apartment. Locking the door behind her. "I take it the date went well?" Liv says, slowly.

"Define well." Harumi mutters, dramatically plopping down on the couch.

Liv shares a look with Lloyd. "The police chased us from the restaurant." He explains, sitting down next to Harumi.

"I know." Liv says, picking up the remote and turning on the TV. It immediately switches to the news, playing the newest report.

"–_Gayle Gossip, reporting live from the restaurant where the Green Ninja and former Jade Princess of Ninjago were spotted." _The news footage switches to a video of Harumi and Lloyd running down the street, the two look away from the screen. _"It appears that the Green Ninja is aiding the Princess, and could possibly be harboring the mysterious girl that was also involved with the Sons of Garmadon known as "Tempest". The two were last spotted on Fourth and Main, if you see any of them, please inform the NCPD." _

"Fourth and Main? That's not too far from here…" Harumi says, they all look towards the door as if it would burst open and policemen would file in at any minute.

"Don't worry about it." Liv insists, turning off the TV and opening up her fridge, pulling out a pack of strawberries. "We need to find a way to clear our names, Rumi."

"What I did can't be excused." Harumi says. "I'm a murderer…"

Lloyd wraps his arm around Harumi's shoulders, and she leans into him, sighing. "If your a murderer...then I am too." Liv states, stubbornly.

"Liv, no–"

"Who knows how many people died while my father was in control." Liv continues, getting up from the chair she was sitting at to stand in front of Harumi, taking her by the shoulders. "If you're a criminal, then so am I. We're in this together, you hear me?"

Harumi nods slowly, before launching herself at Liv, pulling the blond girl into a hug. "Thank you." She mutters.

"No problem," Liv smiles, "But we need a plan."

"What if...we went to court or something?" Lloyd suggests.

"That could work, but it might take awhile," Liv says, "And time is something that is not–"

There's a loud banging on the door, and the three of them go silent. "Ninjago City Police! Open up!" Someone shouts from beyond the door, and another round of knocking rings through the apartment.

"What d'we do?" Harumi hisses, her nails digging into Lloyds arm.

Liv stands up, slowly walking towards the door when Lloyd grabs her. "No, Liv." He says.

"If we don't let them in, it'll make things worse." She says, firmly. "There's a balcony in my room, get out and go to the monastery."

"No way, we can all go." Lloyd continues, his eyes pleading with Liv.

Liv gently takes his hand, holding it close to her chest. "I'll be fine. Now go!" She demands, pushing them towards her room before she goes to the door. Her hands hover over the knob, and Livs eyes drift towards her room. Lloyd helps Harumi climb over the rails, lowering her down into the balcony below them.

Lloyd meets her gaze, before Liv shoos him away. She opens the door once Lloyd disappears from her balcony, staring up at the three police officers in her doorway. "Hello, officers." She says with forced politeness. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Sorry to be a bother, miss, but the Green Ninja and Jade Princess were spotted coming into this building, have you seen them?" One of the officers says.

Livs eyes float back into her apartment, "No, I haven't…" she says, slowly beginning to close the door when one of the officers places his foot in the way.

"I'm sorry, miss, but we have a few more questions for you." He says, "You wouldn't mind letting us search your apartment?"

"No no, that's fine…" Liv says, opening the door wider and glancing around her apartment, making sure that Lloyd and Harumi were gone. "Please, come in."

The officers nod, stepping into Liv's apartment. They immediately begin searching her home, and she tensely closes the door after them, sitting down at the counter and popping a strawberry into her mouth. An officer sits next to her, a calm expression on his face.

From the corner of her eye, Liv sees a flash of green and a mop of blond hair poking out from her balcony, and she glares.

'_I told you to leave!'_

'_Since when do I ever listen to you?'_

'_This isn't a game, Lloyd, get out of here!'_

"–Seen this person, miss?"

Liv shakes her head, turning away from The balcony and back to the officer next to her. "Huh?"

"Have you seen this person, miss?" The officer says again, holding up a blurry, black and white picture of what Liv can only assume is herself.

"...no." Liv says through gritted teeth.

"Are you sure?" The officer says, putting down the picture and picking up another one. A much clearer picture of her. "Have a closer look.."

Liv looks away from the photo, biting her lip. She instead focuses on the officer entering her room, and she tenses up. Her journal is in there. Her journal full of notes on the SoG from before she joined the ninja to help stop them, along with her gi and a ton of weapons under her bed. All key evidence that she's not telling the truth.

Not to mention Lloyd is still somewhere on the balcony, probably hanging from the rails. Listening in without being seen. _'Lloyd, please get out of here.' _

"Sir, we found this." Says one of the officers, coming out of her room with Livs silver dagger and journal. "This journal contains pages of notes on the Sons of Garmadon, along with a photo."

The officer holds up a photo, one that Liv immediately recognizes. It's a blurry picture of her, Harumi, Lloyd, her friends, and the other elemental masters. Along with her mother and uncle. On the rooftop of her apartment building after she'd gotten out of the hospital, when they threw her that surprise party a few weeks ago.

Liv looks down, glaring at the floor. "I'm sorry, miss, but you are under arrest for gang involvement, lying to officials, and harboring wanted criminals." The officer turns Liv around, and she sighs as the handcuffs click around her wrist. They're not vengestone, and Liv could easily escape, but that'll just make more trouble for her.

She can feel Lloyds eyes on her, and she looks back towards the balcony. _'Don't do anything stupid.' _Liv says in her head.

'_I'm supposed to just sit here while they lock you up?' _

'_Yes, you are. Now get out of here, now.'_

The officers push Liv towards the door, and she stumbles, turning to glare at the officer. They walk her down the stairs and into the main lobby, pushing her into the back of the police van. Liv stares resolutely out the window, and she can see Harumi and Lloyd climbing back atop the balcony, she can feel their eyes burning into the back of the car. Liv stares back at them before tearing her gaze from the window, letting her head fall back on the seat.

She squeezes her eyes shut against the burning tears.

* * *

Lloyd and Harumi all but threw open the doors of the newly rebuilt monastery, startling the others in the courtyard.

"Oh, you're back already?" Nya says, tossing her spear to the ground and walking over to them. "How was it?"

"It was going great until the cops showed up." Harumi grumbles, walking over to a training dummy that Cole had been practicing with and sending a sharp kick into the dummies side.

"Oh boy," Kai sighs, placing a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "What happened?"

"They tried to arrest Rumi, so we ran to Liv's place and then they got her too!" Lloyd shouts, as Harumi punches the dummy in anger.

"Wait, they got Liv? As in, she's in jail?!" Jay says, incredulous. Lloyd just sighs, nodding.

"Lloyd...running from the police will only make things worse…" Zane says, slowly.

"I just panicked okay!?" Lloyd snaps, running a hand through his hair. "I just panicked."

The ninja share a look of concern. "Let's continue this inside." Cole says, leading the group inside the monastery, Lloyd nods, placing a hand on Harumi's shoulder. She pauses in her attacks to place her hand over his, their finger entwined.

"C'mon." Lloyd says, leading Harumi towards the monastery.

The ninja all crowd into the newly finished living room, Zane turning on the TV. It flips to the newest news report, Lloyd bawls his hands into fists as it shows Liv being escorted into the police station. A crowd of reporters waiting with notepads and microphones in their hands.

"_Gayle Gossip live from the Ninjago City Police Department where officials have recently apprehended a known member of the Sons of Garmadon; "Tempest." Tempest has refused to answer to the press and is being taken into federal custody as we speak."_ The camera footage switches the a closer image of Liv as she enters the police department, her face a blank mask of calm.

"_Is it true that you're related to the Green Ninja?"_

"_Were the Ninja involved with the SOG attacks?"_

"_Do you know the location of The Quiet One?"_

"_Was Lord Garmadon really trapped in your head or was it just an excuse to get out of trouble?" _

Liv's eyes flash, and the reporters back away as the police push them away from the door, leading Liv inside. "No more questions." One of the buffer officers says, trying to disperse the crowd.

"We've gotta go get her." Harumi says, glaring at the TV screen as she stands. "We've gotta go get her out now."

"Woah woah, I wanna get Liv out too but we can't just go break into the police station." Cole says, as Harumi slowly sits back down. "Besides, it's not her first time in jail, she'll be fine until we can figure out a plan."

The room is silent for a moment, before Cole's eyes widen and he rubs the back of his neck, sheepish. "Sorry."

"Oka-ay…" Jay says, clapping his hands together. "We need a plan to clear your name," he gestures towards Harumi then the onscreen Liv, "and her name. So! Ideas, anyone care to share?"

"Well, we could try court?" Lloyd suggests.

"Or we could bust out Liv, change her name and we could all move to metalonia?" Harumi mumbles. After a moment of silence, Kai laughs.

"We'll...keep that in mind." Cole says.

"Going to court would be the best decision." Zane says, rubbing his chin. "Well, the best _legal _decision."

Lloyd nods, "well what do we do in the meantime? Just let them keep Liv locked up?"

Nya places a sympathetic hand on Lloyd's shoulder, and Harumi entwines her fingers with his, giving Lloyd's hand a squeeze. "For the meantime, yes, Liv has to stay at the police station." Zane confirms.

"Well then I'm going to look for evidence pointing away from Liv while we wait." Lloyd says, standing up from the couch. "Anyone else wanna come?"

Jay stands up, along with Cole and Zane. "Actually, Lloyd, It's probably best if you and Harumi stay at the monastery, just in case." Jay says, carefully.

Lloyd sinks back down onto the couch, huffing. "Fine." He mumbles, as Jay, Cole, and Zane head out of the living room, there's a soft creak of wood as the monastery's gates open and close.

Kai and Nya sandwich Lloyd and Harumi between them, Kai next to Lloyd and Nya next to Harumi. They wrap their arms around the blonds in a tight half hug. "Don't worry, guys, I'm sure we'll work this all out." Kai says, somewhat confidently.

"Let's hope so…" Harumi sighs.

* * *

If Liv had a dollar for every time she ended up in a police interrogation room, she'd have two dollars. It's not a lot, but it's kinda weird that it's happened not once, but twice within the time span of a month or two.

Now, if Liv had a dollar for every time she felt the inexplicable urge to start kicking in peoples kneecaps, she'd be rich.

"I told you, I had nothing to do with the break in at Borg Tower on New Years, or the fake explosions at the Emperor's speech, or the bombing of the palace, or their deaths!" She shouts at the two cops in front of her, she tried to play like Harumi and sit silently, unphazed, but it's not as easy as she made it seem.

One of the two police officers in charge of her interrogation, a young man with short brown hair and warm dark eyes, the name Owen Wood embedded into the golden nametag, looks down at the little device that's apparently supposed to tell if Liv's lying or not. The lines stay perfectly straight, and she cracks a smile. Liv has nothing to hide, she knows what she did was wrong, even if it didn't feel that way in the heat of the moment.

"But you were, however, involved with the resurrection of your father Lord Garmadon, correct?" The other officer says, her black hair tied in a tight bun, blue eyes sharp. Rose Miller on her golden nametag.

Liv leans forwards, her hands flat on the table. "Lord Garmadon is _not _my father." She says, firmly. The little lines falter at that, as if to call her out on the lie and highlight that all too painful truth that Garmadon, twisted, evil, self absorbed Garmadon, will always be her father. He'll always be in the back of her head, a ghost unseen to anyone but herself, haunting her thoughts and actions.

"Right. But you did help resurrect him, along with the Quiet One." Officer Miller states, matter of factly.

Liv's hands ball into fists, looking away. "Yes," she bites out. "I did."

"Do you know the Quiet One's whereabouts?"

"...no."

The lines falter again.

"Do you know the location of the Quiet One?" Miller asks, a bit louder and with an air of authority that sends a shiver down Liv's spine.

Normally, Liv wouldn't be intimidated by a police officer, but they got vengestone cuffs on her once they figured out she was an elemental and the sensation of being abruptly cut off from her powers feels an awful lot like when she was trapped in her head. When she couldn't control her own body or powers.

It's a feeling Liv never wants to experience again...she never wants to feel that weak again. Like she doesn't have any control..

"Hey!" Liv blinks as Officer Wood snaps in her face. "My partner asked you a question."

Liv glances at the officer. "I asked If you knew the location of the Quiet One." She says.

Liv bites her lip, she can't just rat out her friend, but she can't lie either. Officer Wood taps his foot impatiently. While Miller leans forwards with an air of calm, her expression isn't really impatient, but not patient either.

"Withholding the information from us will not make things better for you, Miss Tempest." The blue eyed officer says, her voice low. "Just tell us where the Quiet One is and spare yourself the trouble, or we'll-"

"Or you'll what?" Liv snaps, startling the officers. "In case you didn't know, I was trapped in my own head for weeks. Forced to do terrible things against my will. So go ahead and try your best to break me, but I already broke." She shudders remembering the few weeks she spent alone, the few hours she spent thinking she killed Lloyd at Kryptarium. The false realization that the Ninja were dead and she'd never be able to apologize for being an idiot. "And I rebuilt myself stronger than before, so good luck."

The officers share a glance, before Officer Miller sighs heavily and stands up from the chair, nodding to Officer Wood, who takes Liv by the shoulder, pulling her up from her chair with a surprisingly gentle touch.

"Since you've proven to be uncooperative, there is no point in continuing the interrogation." Officer Miller says, striding from the interrogation room. Officer Wood right behind her with Liv in front of him. "Wood, drop her off at Kryptarium please?"

Officer Wood nods, taking Liv by the shoulder again and leading her towards his police car. Opening the door for her, Liv climbs into the back seat before Wood closes the door and slips into the front. Liv slumps in the seat, leaning her head on the window.

She tugs at her cuffs again, huffing in annoyance when they, once again, don't budge.

"Those cuffs aren't coming off anytime soon, Miss Tempest." Officer Wood says, peeking at her through the rear view mirror.

"I don't go by "Tempest" anymore." Liv says, sitting up.

"Sure." The officer says with an amused chuckle. The blond shoots him an irritated side eye, but doesn't say anything more on the matter.

The two are thrust back into awkward silence, the cities scenery flashing past them as they drive towards the outskirts, the road has a lot more bumps, some of the buildings not fully rebuilt. But it's better than it's been in a while, and that's enough for Liv.

A shiver runs down her spine as the road shifts from cracked asphalt to gritty sand. She hasn't been to Kryptarium since...well, since she fought Lloyd. And to be honest, Liv never expected to be back.

"So," Wood draws, drumming his fingers on the wheel. "How'd a young girl like yourself fall in with the SoG?" He asks.

"How'd you end up with the police?" Liv counters. "You don't look much older than me."

Wood smiles, "I've got a baby face." He says, making Liv laugh. She claps a hand over her mouth, a slight blush tinting her cheeks. "And if you must know, I'm eighteen, and I've wanted to be a police officer since forever I guess. Like my father."

"Mmm." Liv hums, a bitter smile gracing her features for a split second.

"But for now I'm just Miller's sidekick…" Wood continues, "now what about you?"

Liv shifts in her seat, biting down on her lip. "I...It's a long story." She says, softly.

"Well, we've got a while till we get to Kryptarium." Wood chirps, "I think we've got the time."

The blond girl sighs heavily, sitting up in her seat and leaning forwards a bit. "I - Well, I was stupid, really. Something happened between me and my dad when I was little and I never forgave him for it…" Liv says, her voice carrying a touch of self-hatred and the reminder that if she'd just forgiven her father ages ago, none of this would've happened. If only she took the time to talk to her father before he was banished to the cursed realm. "He died before I could tell him that I wasn't mad at him anymore. And when Haru - the Quiet One told me about her plan to bring him back…" A humorless chuckle. "I took it."

"So...Lord Garmadon is your dad?" Wood asks, slowly. Liv sighs, nodding silently. "I...I'm sorry." There's no pity in his voice, no judgement, just sympathy and understanding...like he just knows how much Liv hates herself for resurrecting her father. Like he knows the little part of her that's angry with Harumi for dragging her into this.

Like he knows the little part of her that would've brought back her father even if Harumi hadn't suggested it first.

"Don't be." Liv says, pushing back the storm of emotion inside her. "It was a bad decision on my part and the Quiet Ones. And we both know that, Officer Wood."

Wood nods to himself, thoughtfully. "Owen."

"What?"

"My name's Owen." He says, smiling back at her through the rearview mirror.

Liv is quiet for a beat, processing this. "...Liv."

"That's a nice name." Owen says.

"Thanks…"

* * *

It's evening by the time Owen and Liv arrive at Kryptarium prison, and Liv seems to grow more fidgety with every passing second.

"Here we are." Owen says, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hooray." Liv mumbles from the back seat, tossing her cuffed hands in the air without much enthusiasm. Owen comes around the car and opens the door for her, Liv gets out slowly, her gaze fixed somewhere behind him. On a far wall to be exact, the one that was recently repaired because of the-

Oh, crap.

"Why don't we get going," Owen says, taking Liv by the shoulders and turning her towards the prison. The smile she flashes him is only half forced.

Owen doesn't know much about Liv, but he managed to pick up a lot in the car ride to the prison. One) she doesn't go by Tempest anymore, "It was just a one time thing." She had said. "It should be a no time thing." Owen had laughed, the glare Liv had sent him was more or less just to hide that beautiful smile of hers. Two) she was apparently Garmadon's daughter and had powers. And three) she was close friends with the ninja, the Quiet One, and was related to the Green Ninja. Just to name a few.

Owen hadn't pressed the whole "related to the Green Ninja" thing. He could see the resemblance between them, so they were probably brother or sister. He would've guessed twins at first, but the Green Ninja was probably a few solid years older than Liv.

Which is why he all but drags Liv into Kryptarium. The entire city saw the fight that raged inside the prison, Owen included. He doesn't know what could've possibly led to such a brutal battle between siblings, but he knows it's not something that Liv is proud of or would even like to remember.

Two guards stop them as they approach the entrance to the prison. "State your business." One of the guards says.

"Just a drop off." Owen explains, his eyes flicking towards Liv. The guards share a quick glance with each other before stepping aside, letting Liv and Owen into the prison. The blond girl inches closer to him as they venture deeper into the prison, her eyes closed and her muscles tense.

He hasn't been an officer for very long (A few months to be exact), and he's more of a cadet slash sidekick to Officer Miller than anything, but this isn't his first time attending a drop of, even if the one's he's done have always been with his partner slash teacher.

Nevertheless, this isn't the first drop off Owens done. But it is the first one he's done where the criminal was a fifteen year old girl.

It felt weird, Liv wearing black sweatpants and a purple shirt, her hands shackled in vengestone, and Owen escorting her through the most fortified prison in the world. The prison full of the baddest of the bad. She was just a kid, and what weirded him out more was that she wasn't even fighting. Hadn't resisted them once, well, except for the interagation. And on top of that, Liv has elemental powers and could've used them to escape yet she didn't. And from their conversations on the ride to the prison, it seemed like Liv _knew _what she did was wrong and _wanted _to be put to justice. She wanted to be punished for her crimes and regretted them very much.

It was strange, because Liv seems like a nice girl with a good heart, but made a bad decision. It physically pains Owen to walk her through the prison like she's some...some deranged criminal.

They meet with the Warden, he tries to escort Liv away from Owen while he signs in and removes his firearm, but she wasn't having it. "It's okay, Warden." Owen says, placing a hand on Liv's shoulder. To the Warden, it would look like he was just keeping the girl in check with the gesture, but to Liv, it was grounding. A little bit of reassurance. "I've got her."

The Warden just shrugs, leading the two over to another room where two officers wait inside, one holding a metal detector and the other a bright orange prison jumpsuit. The officer holding the metal detector steps forwards, nodding towards the vengestone cuffs. Owen slips the key from his pocket, unlocking the cuffs. If she's gonna try something it'd be now.

"Don't try anything." Owen smiles, he already knows she won't.

Liv grins, "I wouldn't dream of it,"

The other officers share a glance before the one holding the metal detector waves it around Liv, once the officer's done she pats down Liv, making sure she's not hiding anything. Although Owen knows that the girl has nothing to hide.

"Change into these and then we'll show you to your cell." The officer holding the orange prison jumpsuit thrust them into Liv's hands, the blond scowls at the jumpsuit before nodding, walking over towards a small bathroom in the corner of the room. She closes the door slowly, coming out a few minutes later with her previous outfit in her hands and wearing the jumpsuit.

She hands the clothes over to the officer, who walks away with the officer who's holding the metal detector. Most likely to put Liv's old clothes into a locker. Liv tugs at the sleeves of the jumpsuit, huffing.

"Come with me and I'll take you to your cell." The Warden says, leading the two out of the room and down the hall towards where all the other criminals are kept. Liv takes a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly before following the Warden.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright. I promise." Owen whispers, his hand hoovers over her shoulder before it falls at his side.

"Yeah, okay." Liv scoffs, rolling her eyes. "The last time I was here it wasn't really on good terms."

"Okay, uh, well." Owen mumbles. She's not wrong, per say, but he's trying to lighten the mood and make her feel better. Well, as best as she can get while she's about to get thrown in a cell. Owen just sighs, lowering his head. "True, true."

The criminals sneer at Liv as her, Owen, and the Warden pass by, most of them recently apprehended members of the Sons of Garmadon. The blond girl holds her head high, carrying herself without an ounce of fear as she follows the Warden. Owen walks a bit closer towards her, sandwiching Liv between the Warden and himself.

"Traitor!" Ultra Violet screams at Liv, banging on her cell's bars. The blond doesn't even spare her a glance, following the Warden closely. But for some reason, she pauses as they walk past Mr. E's cell.

The robot's bright red eyes lock onto Liv's jade one's, the two stare at each other for a beat, before Owen grabs Liv's shoulders, gently easing her past the bot. The Warden leads them to the far end of the main area, typing in a few numbers into a device on the wall, a steel door slides open, and the three of them step inside, the door slamming shut after them. The sound echoing down the hall.

The muffled shouts of the prisoners still echo outside the door, along with the shouts of officers trying to calm them down. "Welcome to the Elemental Wing." The Warden says, leading them down a much darker hall. A few guards stand in the hall, guarding separate doors. Their faces firm and eyes hard as stone. "Follow me."

"I thought you were taking her to her cell…" Owen says, eyeing the guards.

"I am." The Warden answers, "but seeing as she is an elemental, I have a...special cell for her."

Liv glares at the back of the man's head, and Owen places a calming hand on her shoulder. At the end of the dark hall, two heavily armed officers guard a large steel door. They nod towards the Warden, stepping aside and allowing him to type in yet another code into a device embedded into the wall. The device chirps, and the Warden leans in for an eye scan. Once that's done, one of the buffer officers faces the Warden, nodding as the door opens.

The door opens to reveal a large laser grid, Liv yelps, stepping back from the door when the lasers suddenly disappear, one of the officers removing his hand from a button.

A giant glass ball sits in the center of the room, hanging from a thick cord reaching up to the ceiling with seemingly no way to get to it. The Warden steps forwards onto a large platform. Walking over towards a metal box with a small lever sticking out of it. He pulls the lever, and a long walkway stretches out towards the glass ball in the center of the room. The older man steps onto the walkway, letting it carry him towards the glass dome, he motions for Owen and Liv to follow.

The two share a hesitant glance before stepping onto the walkway. "All of this for little ol' me?" Liv whispers, grinning. "I'm flattered."

Owen snorts, shoving her lightly. Liv stumbles a bit, almost tumbling over the side of the walkway when Owen snatches her wrist, pulling her upright. The two stifle their laughter as they approach the Warden, still smiling at each other.

The Warden nods to the officer a few dozen feet away, who opens up the cell. A panel of glass slides away with a hiss. "This is Cell One." the Warden explains. "The glass is built with vengestone, so your powers are useless in there. Once a day, for exactly two hours, you will be let out for meal and recreational time. During this period you will be able to converse with the other elementals in the wing and eat. You will be supplied with a book, one pencil and a notepad for writing to family."

Liv nods, eyeing the bare glass cell. A small metal cot sits in the left corner of the cell, with nothing but a small pillow. A metal desk with the notepad, book, and pencil that the Warden mentioned sitting on top of it in a neat stack, and a small toilet/sink facing the back wall.

"You mentioned other elementals?" Liv asks.

"Yes, believe it or not you and your little ninja friends aren't the only elementals out there. And a few of them have been causing a lot of trouble." The Warden says with a sigh, running his hands through graying hair. Liv nods, satisfied with his answer.

The Warden claps his hands together, the sound echoing across the giant room. He motions Liv towards the cell, and she sighs, looking back towards the door. Owen tenses up, she's not in the cell right now, she has no vengestone cuffs on her. She could easily take them both out right now and make a run for it…

Liv steps into the cell, slow and hesitant. She looks over it, taking in the cell before sitting down on the metal cot, the Warden nods to the officers by the entrance, who close the cell doors. The glass panel slides back into place, Liv tenses as the vengestone takes effect, staring at Owen through the glass.

The Warden eyes the two of them before turning on his heel and striding back towards the platform a few feet away. Owen looks back at Liv, she waves a bit, a soft smile on her face. He waves back to her before following the Warden.

Once the Warden and Owen are back at the platform, the older man pulls the lever again and the walkway slides away. Disappearing into a slot in the wall. He steps through the large steel door and into the hall with the two officers, who activate the laser grid again and slam the steel door shut.

"So," The Warden starts, placing a heavy hand on Owen's shoulder as he guides the young officer down the dark hall. "I don't think I need to remind you that she is a criminal, right, officer Wood?"

Owen stiffens, opening his mouth to defend Liv, because she doesn't seem like a criminal to him, more like a girl who made a bad choice, but a stern look from the older man cuts him off. "No, sir." Owen sighs.

"Good." The Warden says. "I'd hate for you to fall in with her...criminal ways."

Owen's fists clench, he takes a deep breath and blows it out. He's not gonna fall in with Liv's "criminal ways" because she's not really a criminal. And she's not like that. Owen doesn't know why he believes this so wholeheartedly, they shared one car ride together, but he just knows. He knows that Liv isn't a bad person. Although she did make a few really bad choices, that doesn't mean she herself is a bad person.

So he'll stand by that belief until he's proven wrong.

He hopes he's not proven wrong...

* * *

Jay, Cole, and Zane step back into the monastery with dull expressions, explaining that Liv's apartment was blocked off and they couldn't get into it. The monastery is quiet that night. The weight of their situation draped over them like a wet blanket.

Harumi slips out of her room, tiptoeing down the hall and out into the courtyard. She runs up to the wall circling the courtyard, kicking off the stone and swinging her legs over it, she grunts as she pulls herself up atop the wall, sitting on it's edge and looking up at the night sky.

She feels like crying, Harumi can feel the tears waiting to fall, but they just don't. She can't cry.

So instead, she sits in silence, in the wake of the stars and the stars only. Anger and self-hatred flaming like a fire in her heart. Liv, her best friend, her first friend, is probably sitting alone in a cold cell in Kryptarium. A cell that Harumi basically put her in by recruiting her to join the Sons of Garmadon, by pressuring Liv to help her. To help bring back Lord Garmadon. And for what? So Harumi could get revenge on the boy that she's in love with? So she could make Lloyd pay for releasing the serpentine that led to her parents death, when Lloyd himself was just a boy who wanted the approval of a father that was never there for him?

It was selfish. Harumi's parents died for her, they gave their life for her's, so she could have her best shot at life. And Harumi threw it away and replaced it with anger and bitterness.

Harumi should be the one in prison, not Liv.

With that thought in her head, Harumi slides down from the monastery's wall, her feet landing gently on the stone of the courtyard. She quietly walks back to her room, slipping off her pajamas and throwing on her dark green kimono, the one she wore when her and Lloyd snuck out. Back when he was just the Green Ninja and her the Jade Princess with a deadly secret and a bitter heart. She fingers her long pale hair, hesitating on tying it up before leaving it down, letting the long white strands hang loose at her shoulders. She grabs her shoes and steps out of her room, quiet steps echoing through the halls once more before she's in the courtyard.

Harumi tugs on her shoes, sprinting across the stone, the gates open with a loud creak, she cringes at the sound, glancing back at the monastery. No one comes rushing out, so Harumi steps through the gate, closing it behind her carefully.

She takes a breath, looking back at the closed gate behind her before taking off down the stairs. _She should be in prison. _Harumi reminds herself as she runs down the mountain. _Not Liv. _

Each step seems to bring back a memory, a moment from the past that made Harumi who she is. The moments she was angry, the moments she was happy, the moments she was sad and bitter.

The moment she was in love.

Harumi runs faster down the stone steps as the memories come faster, the emotions speeding up with her running feet. A part of her wonders what Lloyd and Liv even saw in her. What did Liv see in her that was worth her compassion? What did Lloyd see that was worth his kind smile, his bright eyes, his gentle touch and warm laugh?

Because Harumi doesn't see what she ever did to deserve them.

There's a scuffle of feet behind her, Harumi's head whips around, catching sight of the green blob behind her. "Rumi!" Lloyd shouts, racing after her.

"Lloyd-?" Harumi's sentence is cut off as she misses a step in her dash down the stone stairs, the ground rushes up to meet her when there's a tug on her wrist and then a sudden yank.

She sucks in a breath as Lloyd yanks her upright, pulling her close to him. "You okay?" Lloyd asks, scanning her for any injuries.

"I'm fine." Harumi sighs, trying to pull away. Lloyd lets her, but grabs a hold of her wrist when she turns away.

"What are you doing out here?" Lloyd says. Harumi doesn't answer him, instead pulling her wrist from his grasp and striding back down the mountain. "Harumi?"

She walks down the mountain a little faster now, resuming her jog. She can see the last dozen or so steps and she's so close to turning herself over so Liv can hopefully go free that she can't stop now.

"...You're going to turn yourself in, aren't you?" When silence is the only answer Lloyd gets, he races after her. Harumi in turn sprints down the steps, taking them two at a time while Lloyd practically leaps down them, he stumbles after each jump, but regains his footing and resumes his run soon after. But it's too late, Harumi's too far ahead. "Harumi, wait! Don't do this!"

"I have too!" Harumi shouts back, "I have to do this!" She skids to a stop, looking around for a vehicle, she knows that Nya and Pixal have been building something into the mountain, and without the bounty the Ninja must have some way of getting around.

There's a yell, then a soft _thud!_ as Lloyd comes tumbling towards her, Harumi rushes towards him, glancing back up at the stone steps then back down at Lloyd, who was sitting on the ground, a hand massaging his ankle.

"Did you - did you jump down here?!" Harumi says, incredulously looking between Lloyd and the steps. He was_ at least_ a dozen steps behind her!

"Had to get you to come back somehow." Lloyd grimaces, his face pinched.

"You moron." Harumi grumbles, kneeling next to Lloyd and holding his ankle, she taps around the bruise blossuming on it. Lloyd sucks in a sharp breath when she twists his ankle a bit. "Sorry."

"Your fine, that ankle's been messed up for years." Lloyd huffs, glaring at his foot as if disappointed. Harumi just nods.

The two sit in silence, Harumi poking and prodding at Lloyd's ankle until she's satisfied it's not broken. "Be more careful next time." She says, her eyes sparkling with concern and irritation. Harumi moves to stand and continue her goal to turn herself in when Lloyd grabs her arm and yanks her back down.

"We need to talk." He says, urgently.

"There's nothing _to _talk about, Lloyd."

"That's a lie and you know it."

Harumi huffs, tugging her arm from Lloyd and digging her palms into her eyes. "Why won't you just let me go?" She groans, irritated. "What could you possibly see in a criminal like me?"

Lloyd grabs both her arms again, pulling her close to him. His emerald eyes are firm and determined. "Why can't you just see what I see?!" He asks, his eyes radiating with determination to make Harumi see what he sees and the love he has for her shining just as bright as the stars. "We talked about this, Rumi. I...I love you just the way you are. Faults and all."

Harumi's eyes water as she bites her lip, slowly shaking her head. "_Really?_" She says, her voice breaking. Lloyd pulls her into a hug, carding a hand through her white hair.

"I see pain and anger in your eyes." Lloyd starts, Harumi chuckles humorlessly. "But I also see joy and compassion in them too." He presses a hand to her heart, feeling the steady beat. "I see a heart filled with love but covered in bitter ice." Lloyd pulls her back, holding Harumi by the shoulders, his green eyes locked with her's. "I see a person worth loving, worth saving, worth the world. Harumi, I see _you._"

"You - you do?" Harumi sniffles, swiping at her eyes.

"Yeah, I do." Lloyd smiles, and Harumi launches herself at him. The tears that refused to fall before now coming down like a waterfall. Soaking Lloyds shoulder. The two sit on the ground, Lloyd holding Harumi close and rubbing comforting circles into her back as she cries into his shoulder.

Lloyd's never seen Harumi break down like this and it pains him to watch it. To see that she's been hurting in silence all this time. It's another reminder just how alike they are. Just how much of himself he sees in her.

Once he's sure that Harumi's not going to run off again, Lloyd stands, hoping to his feet and his injured ankle hovering just above the ground. Harumi stands, looping her arm under Lloyd's armpit and shouldering half his weight. They hobble back up the stone steps and back into the courtyard, tiptoeing into the monastery and down the hall. Harumi and Lloyd stop in front of the latter's room, pushing open the door.

"Night, Rumi." Lloyd says, softly. He hops over to his bed and plops down into it, Harumi leaning in the doorway.

"Night." She mumbles, more to herself than Lloyd.

"...See you in the morning?" Lloyd asks, the silent question tied to the sentence. _You won't run off?_

Harumi is quiet for a beat, biting her lip. Honestly, she's still considering turning herself in anyways. "Yeah…" She sighs, "see you in the morning."

Lloyd smiles, he's asleep the moment his head hits the pillow. Harumi turns, closing the door behind herself and walking into her own room down the hall. She can't turn herself in. Not when Lloyd needs her.

* * *

As it turns out, the Elemental Wing of Kryptarium prison isn't as bad as Liv had thought.

Sure the metal cot is a terrible, sorry excuse for a bed and should be destroyed, but the food was okay and at least they gave her a book to read and a notepad to write in. Liv huffs as she tugs at the sleeve of her prison jumpsuit, not only does she hate the color, but it's itchy and rough and should also be destroyed.

The two officers who usually guard her door are now leading her towards what looks like a common room. Liv has yet to meet the other elemental masters that had been imprisoned here along with her, she could've met them a few days ago when she first arrived at the prison, but backed out of going at the last second. The officers didn't care, if she wanted to sit in her glass ball of a cell all day then they weren't gonna stop her.

Today however, Liv had felt a burst of confidence and decided to leave her cell for once.

That confidence was thoroughly crushed when the common room door slid open.

Two pairs of eyes flick over to Liv, and the blond girl gives a small little half smile. "Chamille, master of form." One of the officers says, gesturing towards a girl with bright purple hair who eyes Liv suspiciously, then to a boy with black hair and pale blue eyes. "Oliver, master of clones." Then the officer points to Liv. "Liv, master of dark energy."

The three elementals stare at each other, an air of tension and curiosity surrounding them. "Have fun." The officer says, unlocking Liv's handcuffs and turning to leave. "Oh and this room is also made of vengestone, so don't try anything." He reminds them before closing the common room door.

There's a moment of silence before the master of form - Chamille - laughs. "I thought he'd never leave." She says.

Liv snorts, the master of clones - Oliver - waves her over, patting the seat next to him on the floor. The blond walks over, taking a seat next to the teen and rubbing her wrists. "So, Liv, was it?" Oliver says, causally. "Nice to meet you, uh, I'm Oliver." He draws, flicking his eyes towards Chamille, sprawled out on a small couch. "And that lady over there is dumbass - ow! Hey!"

Oliver yelps as Chamille chucks a throw pillow at him, glaring. "Shut up, asshole." She says.

"Anyways," Liv laughs, she's starting to like these two. "How'd you too end up here?"

"Ah, right to the fun stuff I see." Oliver says, resting his elbows on the pillow Chamille tossed at him. "Well, I met this crazy lady on a uh..._job_, if you know what I mean," he grins, and Liv nods. A not so legal job, she would assume. "We became partners, may or may not have robbed a few banks, committed some breaking and entering-"

"It would've just been _entering _if you hadn't been an idiot and knocked over that lamp." Chamille grumbles, her eyes flick over to Liv. She studies the blond girl briefly before looking away.

"-And then we got caught trying to rob the emperor and empress!" Oliver claps his hands together, steamrolling over Chamille's comment. Liv winces at the name of the late rulers of Ninjago, but nods as she takes in this information. So they were thieves. Not _that _bad. Still bad, but at least she's not locked in here with, like, murderers or something. And she's already got one criminal friend, so why not make some more sense she's probably gonna be here for a while?

"What about you?" Chamille asks from the couch where she's fiddling with a strand of her purple hair.

Liv shrugs, debating how much she should really tell them before sighing, heck. No point in hiding it, the whole city practically knows. "You ever heard of the Sons of Garmadon?" She asks.

"Yeah. Some guards were fussing about it a few weeks ago, talkin' about how many of the members they'd arrested." Oliver says, his head resting in his hands.

"Well, um, then I'm sure you've heard about the whole take over thing." Liv continues.

"Yep." Chamille says with an eye roll, sounding bored. "No one knew about the wing down here except for the Warden and the guards he stations down here, so we just sat down here and waited it out."

"Wait, no one else knows about this?" Liv asks, incredulous.

"Nope." Oliver huffs.

Liv looks between the two in disbelief. "So the Warden just has a secret prison wing for elementals?" Chamille and Oliver nod again. "That's crazy! My friends have been looking for elementals since the tournament of elements and you've just been here?!"

"Actually, I wasn't in the tournament of elements." Oliver says. "I'm not _that _stupid to attend some random fight club hosted by a psychopath noodle lord."

"You and me both." Liv mutters.

"How do _you _know about the tournament of elements?" Chamille asks, her eyes narrowing. "I didn't see you there."

"That's because I wasn't." Liv says, leaning back on the carpeted floor, feeling the vengestone suppressing her powers. She pays it little mind, she's used to it. "My friends were, though. You probably know them. They're pretty big around here."

It takes a minute for her words to sink in, but when they do, Chamille and Oliver look at her in surprise. "You know the ninja?!" Oliver exclaims. "How'd you end up in prison if your friends with the ninja?"

"I fell in with the Sons of Garmadon, made some mistakes, some bigger than others, and in the end they landed me here." Liv explains with a sigh, staring up at the ceiling.

"You remind me of someone…" Chamille says, breaking the silence.

"The Green Ninja comes to mind, don't yea think?" Liv says, with a casual shrug.

"Oh my god you're related to the Green Ninja!?" Oliver shouts.

"I never would've pegged you as a fanboy." Liv snorts, still staring at the ceiling with an amused smirk on her face.

"I fought your brother? Cousin? Dad-?" Chamille starts, shifting so she's sitting crossed legged on the couch.

"Ew, no!" Liv shoots up, swiping the pillow from Oliver and chucking it at Chamille. "He's my _twin, _not my dad!"

"Alright well I fought your twin in the tournament of elements." Chamille says, rolling her eyes as she catches the pillow and throws it back at Liv. "Annoying, optimistic ball of positivity and friendship."

Liv huffs out a laugh, placing the pillow behind her head. "That sounds like him."

The three fall into silence, it's surprisingly comfortable, seeing as they just met. A smile graces Liv's face as she crosses her arms over her chest, straightening her legs out in front of her and closing her eyes, sighing in content.

Oliver leans against the couch, his arms crossed over his chest with Chamille's arms folded atop his head, her own head resting in her arms.

Liv sighs as she sits up. "Hey, Chamille?"

"Hmm." The purple haired girl hums, peaking open her dark brown eyes.

Liv bites her lip, sitting up so she can sit cross legged on the floor, fidgeting with her hands. "You were in the tournament of elements...with my friends, my brother…" She says, quietly.

"Yes I was, but I already told you that." Chamille huffs.

"...My...Garmadon was there, too." Liv continues. "With Lloyd and the others while they were looking for Zane…"

"Well yeah he was, but he was human. A boring old man who had some beef with Chen…" Chamille says. She remembers the old man. Always following the ninja around, keeping them safe and focused. "Just get to the point already."

"What was he like?"

"What?"

Liv digs the palm of her hand into her eyes. "Garmadon, my dad...my real one...what was he like?"

Chamille is quiet for a moment, and Liv wonders if she's ignoring her stupid question. She should be asking Lloyd this, or Wu or her mom. But Liv's spent a lot of time ignoring her father and then she missed her chance…but she wants to know now. She wants to know the human side of her father.

"I dunno, he was always hanging around the ninja. Never really talked to anyone else." Chamille says, slowly. "But he was always calm...and kind. He cared a lot about others...and even more about the ninja, the green one especially."

Liv nods at this, then Chamille continues. "He wasn't all serious though, he had a sense of humor. Whenever I saw him he was always laughing with the ninja or planning to take down Chen….he was a good man." She says, flashing Liv a smile. "Hope this helped."

Liv allows a small smile to grace her lips, swiping at her eyes before the tears can fall. "It did...thanks."

"No problem." Chamille sighs, closing her eyes and falling to sleep, her head resting on Oliver's.

Liv leans back down, her head resting on the pillow as she stares up at the ceiling. Her eyes flick over to the small clock on the wall, they've got another hour before the guards come back to take them back to their cells, so she might as well sleep on this carpet for as long as she can.

* * *

A few weeks went by, Liv, Oliver, and Chamille grow closer, as do Liv and Owen. All while the ninja plan a court case for Liv and Harumi. They planned it all out, gathered as much evidence as they could, talked it over with lawyers and Zane and Pixal. They told them it would be easier to clear Liv's name, but it would be nearly impossible to clear Harumi's.

Lloyd refused to give up hope, so he didn't. Not even when they were walking into the courthouse. Reporters and citizens lined up outside, trying to stick their noses as far as they could into the Ninjas personal lives.

They ignore all the reporters begging for an interview or a comment on the situation, Harumi squeezes Lloyd's hand as they push past the crowd and into the courthouse, walking down the vast hallway towards the courtroom. Kai places a reassuring hand on Lloyd's shoulder and the blond forces a shaky smile.

Liv stands near the front of the courtroom, two police officers on either side of her and vengestone cuffs on her hands. She smiles widely as her eyes meet Lloyds, and he runs towards her, the officers let him sweep Liv into a hug.

"I missed you." He says into her hair, hugging Liv as tight as he can. Liv buries her head into the crook of his neck.

"I missed you too." Liv says, wetly. She pulls away from Lloyd, and Harumi runs up towards her, wrapping Liv in a tight hug.

"Good to see you." Liv laughs, she wishes she could hug Harumi back, but with her hands cuffed behind her, she can't.

"Right back at you." Harumi smiles, pulling back and standing next to Lloyd. A few more people file into the room, Skylor, Wu, Misako, and Pixal included. Along with a few other people. The ninja take seats on the right side of the room while everyone else takes seats on the left. Harumi and Lloyd sit at the Defendants Table in front of the rows of seats, Liv standing near the front of the courtroom with one officer to her left. The other officer who had been guarding her turns to escort the judge in.

The judge is a middle aged woman, her dark skin glowing in the sunlight that filters in through the window. Her hair slicked back into a neat bun. She takes her place at the Judges Bench, while the officer hands her a folder of papers.

"All rise for judge Erika Thomas." The officer says, and everyone in the room stands up. Paying their respects to the judge before sitting back down.

"Harumi Xi'an, please stand and place your right over your heart." Judge Thomas says. Harumi stands, placing her hand over her heart. "Now, while you are in this courtroom, do you swear to tell the truth and only the truth?"

"Yes, your honor." Harumi breaths, nodding her head. "I swear to tell the truth and only the truth."

"You may be seated." The judge says, Harumi sits back down, while the judge looks through the papers in her hand, occasionally glancing at Harumi then to Liv. "Now, Harumi Xi'an, age sixteen, born on May twenty-first, you were the Jade Princess of Ninjago, correct?"

"Yes your honor." Harumi confirms, fidgeting slightly.

"And you were adopted by the late Emperor and Empress after the Great Devourer attack when you were ten, correct?"

"Yes your honor."

Judge Thomas pauses, looking back at the papers then to Harumi, her eyes narrowed. "And you were also the leader of the Sons of Garmadon, organizing their meets and attacks, working under the name "The Quiet One," _correct?_"

Harumi's looks down, guilt rolling off her in waves, her leg bounces under the table as she bites her lip. "Yes your honor." She sighs.

"It says here you were also involved with the robbery at Borg Tower on New Years, the resurrection of Lord Garmadon, and the bombing of the palace, which killed the Emperor, Empress, and their advisor Lee Hutchins."

"Yes I was, your honor." Harumi says, her voice strained. Lloyd squeezes her hand reassuringly. Harumi wishes he wouldn't. Things aren't looking good for her.

"Hmm." Judge Thomas hums, placing down Harumi's papers and picking up another stack, most likely Liv's papers. "Liv Harlow Garmadon, please place your right hand over your heart." Liv nods, placing a hand over her heart. "While you are in this courtroom, do you swear to tell the truth and only the truth?"

"Yes your honor." Liv nods, a bit shakily. "I swear to tell the truth and only the truth."

"Now, Liv Garmadon, age fifteen, born on December thirtieth, formerly possessed by Lord Garmadon and second in command of the Sons of Garmadon, working under the name "Tempest," correct?"

"That is correct, your honor."

"Here it states that you helped Harumi Xi'an resurrect Lord Garmadon, were you involved with the Sons of Garmadon before this?" Judge Thomas asks, her eyes hard.

"No your honor." Liv says.

"Explain to me, when did you join the Sons of Garmadon and why?"

Liv hesitates, biting her lip. Her eyes flick over towards Harumi. The white haired girl smiles slightly, nodding. "I joined the Sons of Garmadon after our ship went down in the jungle, when me and Harumi found the oni mask of hatred. I joined because I wanted my dad back...your honor." Liv says quietly. She remembers the day she found out the truth. The day that changed her life. And now she can't tell if it was for better or for worse.

"Who else was with you when you found this oni mask of hatred?"

"No one. It was just me and Harumi." Liv sighs, with every word she says, every thought she confirms, it's only making things worse for her friend.

"Were you forced into joining the Sons of Garmadon? Did you feel like you had no other choice?"

"No!" Liv shouts, glaring at the judge. The older woman eyes Liv, and the blond girl winces. "No, your honor. I joined on my own free will." Liv says, her head low.

The room is quiet, Judge Erika Thomas writing down what Liv had said before looking up at her again. "You were possessed by your father, correct?"

Liv shudders at the memory. "I-I was, your honor."

"And it was your father, Lord Garmadon, that was in control of your body after you and Harumi Xi'an resurrected him, correct?"

Liv nods, and the judge hums again, waving Liv away before putting up the blonds papers. "I call witness Misako Garmadon to the front." Judge Thomas says. Misako stands, pushing up her small, silver rimmed glasses up as she stands. "While you are in this courtroom, do you swear to tell the truth and only the truth?"

"I swear." Misako says, a hand over her heart.

The judge nods. "You are the mother of Lloyd and Liv Garmadon, sister-in-law to Wu, and husband to Lord Garmadon, correct?"

"Yes I am, your honor."

"Has your daughter ever gotten into trouble with the law before?"

"No your honor."

The judge nods, "you may be seated." She says, as Misako nods and sits back down beside Wu.

This went on for another hour, Judge Erika Thomas asking each of the ninja questions about Liv, Harumi, and just the entire ordeal with the SoG in general. They weren't really a lot of help, seeing as they were off in the First Realm for the better part of the crisis.

While the judge is questioning Zane, he projected clips of the fight in Kryptarium, no one liked to watch it, but "It was important evidence" judge Thomas had said, as she watched the clips with narrowed brown eyes, jotting down notes and glancing at papers.

Throughout the trial, things seemed to get better for Liv, and worse for Harumi. They'd all known that there was a slim chance of clearing her name with all she had done, but they would still try.

Now, everyone was on pins and needles waiting for Judge Thomas to make her statement. Liv closes her eyes, muttering to herself. Lloyd entwines his fingers with Harumi, squeezing tightly.

"Liv Harlow Garmadon, you are…" Judge Thomas pauses, her eyes locked with Livs. The entire courtroom was on edge, waiting for the judge's statement. "_Not_ guilty of the following crimes: the Borg Tower Heist nor the bombing of the palace," before the judge could continue, the ninja burst from their seats, cheering and smiling. The judge levels them with a firm look before they settle down and allow her to continue. "However, you are guilty of resurrecting Lord Garmadon, and will serve two months of house arrest, followed by another month of probation." Judge Thomas picks up the gavel, before swiftly banging it down on the judged bench, shuffling up Liv's papers as she nods to the guards.

Liv practically beams as the guards unlock her cuffs and hands her the sweat pants and t-shirt she'd worn to the prison after she was arrested, she rubs her wrists a few times, pulling at the sleeves of her orange prison jumpsuit before dashing over to Lloyd. She jumps into his open arms, her hands tangled in his hair as she holds back tears. She pulls herself from Lloyd's grasp and goes over to Harumi, hugging the white haired girl tightly before Harumi pulls back, ushering Liv towards the Ninja.

Jay scopes Liv into a hug, muttering something that makes her laugh before turning the blond over to her Misako, who hugs her tightly, carding a hand through her hair. They all sit back down a few minutes later, waiting for the judge to give Harumi her statement.

"Harumi Xi'an…" The judge begins, slowly. "You _are _guilty of the following crimes: the Borg Tower Heist, the bombing of the palace, and the resurrection of Garmadon." A pause, letting everyone take in the information, then - "I am sorry to say but you will be serving ten years in prison, followed by a month of probation…"

Harumi gasps, and Liv leans into Jay, who wraps an arm around her, pulling her into a tight half hug. Lloyd squeezes Harumi's hand tighter, his eyes watering. Harumi herself just nods her head in acceptance. She knew that it'd be a long shot to clear her name, and she's ready to face the consequences.

"But," Everyone's eyes snap back to Judge Thomas. She was looking through a few papers, glancing at the notes she'd taken during the trial. "Seeing as Harumi Xi'an did however, aid in stopping Lord Garmadon, I am willing to show mercy and lower the sentence." The ninja shoot hopeful looks at each other as Judge Thomas continues. "Five years in Kryptarium prison, followed by one year of house arrest, this is as much mercy as I can allow." The judge banged the gavel on the bench, signaling the end of the trial.

Five years is a long time, but it's certainly better than the alternative, so they would make it work.

They have to.

The officers slip the cuffs on Harumi, who flashes the others a reassuring smile before the cops lead her away. Liv pulls herself away from Jay, going to stand by Lloyd. She rests her head on his shoulder, looking up at him.

"She's gonna be okay, Lloyd." She mutters, stuffing the clothes the officers had given her back under her arm as the Ninja turn to leave the courtroom.

"It feels like I just got her back…" Lloyd says, softly.

"You did, moron. But I'm telling you, she's tough, and she'll be fine." Liv continues. swatting Lloyd's cheek. "So get that look off your face, and we can visit her tomorrow, okay?"

Lloyd huffs, glancing back at the courtroom before nodding. "Okay."

* * *

**I've cut Harumi as much slack as I could, and I couldn't sweep it all under the rug. On the Brightside, Liv is just going to be under house arrest, which basically means she can't leave her apartment. And we also got two new characters that I did **_**not **_**want to have any major role in this story but the more I wrote the more it made sense so yeah, Owen and Oliver will play big roles in the future. Oh, and let's not forget Chamille too!**

**Next up, the Jay and Liv centric chapter. Where mountains are now their new arch nemesis.**


End file.
